I'll Come Back When You Call Me
by ShineInTheStorm
Summary: One year has passed since the Telmarine age ended and Caspian X is now King of Narnia. All seems well, until one day when Serena Pendragon is literally washed up in this strange land, and Caspian is confronted by someone he thought he'd never see again.
1. It Started Out As A Feeling

**It Started Out As A Feeling**

Serena Pendragon stood alone at the harbour, her sea-green eyes scanning the horizon for some small glimmer of hope. Only five days earlier, her mother had passed away after fighting leukemia for four agonizing months. After her mother's funeral, it was decided that Serena be shipped over to America to live with her father, who had left her and her mother what she was six.

A strong gust of salty wind ripped Serena from her thoughts. She pushed her raven hair out of her eyes and once again allowed her mind to wander. Moving away from England, her home for her entire life, and moving in with someone she barely knew wasn't helping the burning heartache she felt since her mother died.

A loud honk rang through the air signaling that the boat was ready for departure, causing Serena to squeal jump about a foot in the air.

"All aboard for America!" The captain yelled loudly.

Serena scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed her small outburst. When she saw that no one was even paying attention to her, she bent over slowly and picked up her suitcase. She took a deep breath, then descended over the bridge and onto the small ship. She was then ushered by a short man in a sailor suit into the baggage compartment, where her suitcase was snatched from her hands and stuffed into what looked like a small closet. Serena shrugged her slender shoulders and sauntered away from the baggage closet and onto the deck, where she was greeted only by the salty sea air. She walked over to the edge of the ship and leaned over the side, staring out at the vast, blue ocean before her.

Another loud honk alerted Serena of the ship's departure. _So I'm finally leaving_, she thought sadly as the ship began to pull away from the harbour. She said her silent goodbyes to her beloved England, just as the wind blew her dark hair around her face—in the direction of her home._ England is my home, __and it always will be, no matter what._

A large wave suddenly struck the side of the ship, spraying Serena with icy water. She jumped back with a yelp of surprise and bumped into a middle aged woman, clad in what looked like a pink tutu.

"Watch where you're going young lady!" The woman sneered and gave Serena a disapproving look.

"Oh, I'm so sorry ma'am," Serena stuttered. "It's just that the, uh, wave startled me."

"Wave?" The woman scoffed. "There was no wave, I was right behind you."

"But..." Serena trailed off, a look of confusion plastered on her face.

Apparently having heard enough, the woman turned on her heel and waddled off, her tutu bouncing with each step.

Serena turned around just in time to see another wave splash over the side of the boat, spraying her and a family of five standing near her. She shielded her eyes from the stinging salt water and peered over at the family. Somehow, they were all still completely dry and seemed to be unaware of the water sprinkling down on them.

Serena's baffled expression soon turned into a look of horror as more waves struck the sides of the boat, causing it to rock violently. She whipped her head around in all directions, eyes wide as the waves increased in size and consistency.

"What's happening?" She screamed over the sounds of the crashing waves, only to find once again that all of the passengers were oblivious to the raging water that was attacking the ship.

A deafening crash sounded behind Serena. She whorled around and could feel the panic rising inside of her. Looming over her head was a wave that was at least 25 feet tall. Instinctively, she closed her eyes and held her breath, awaiting the impact of the ocean water.

The water hit Serena with such force that it nearly knocked the air out of her lungs, but she forced herself to hold on to her last supply of oxygen. The water knocked her off her feet and sent her reeling into the edge of the ship, then right over the side and into the deep blue ocean.

Panic seized her as the cold, salty water engulfed her body. Serena felt herself being tossed and turned with the current until she was so dizzy that she didn't know up from down. No amount of swimming lessons could help her at this rate. _I'm going to die_... Serena realized, helpless as her last supply of oxygen left her. Just as she felt that her lungs were going to burst, a pair of hands grabbed Serena's arm and pulled her up.

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Serena's head broke through the surface of the water and she began to suck in air greedily. Whatever grabbed her pulled her out of the water and into a small row boat. Still weak from lack of oxygen, Serena struggled to restore her air supply. _I'm alive?_ She thought in disbelief._ But how...?_

She lifted her heavy eye lids slowly, her green eyes scanning her surroundings. She was in a harbour alright, but not the one in England. Tall cliffs blanketed with trees ran along the sides of the harbour and various canoe-like ships were marooned on the docks.

Serena turned her head around to face forward and her sea-green eyes locked with those of a small bearded man who sat in the boat with her.

As she looked at him, she noticed that this man wasn't just small, he was_ tiny_. His stubby legs hung over the bench he was sitting on a good foot from the bottom of the row boat. His long beard hung to his knees and he looked as though he was barely four feet tall. _Maybe I _am_ dead..._ Serena wondered how this tiny man could have enough strength to pull her out of the water. _I _must_ be dreaming_.

Serena noticed that she wasn't the only one staring. The concerned look in the man's eyes soon turned into utter confusion as he stared at her.

Her raven hair was dripping wet from the water and she was shivering from the cold. Her light jacket, blouse and skirt looked like clothes from another world. However, the girl's sea-green eyes were different from the pale, piercing blue ones he had seen before. Other than that, she was a complete doppelganger. _It can't be_, he thought incredulously. Although the look of bewilderment on her face told him otherwise.

"Wh-who are you? Where am I?" Serena stuttered, glancing around at the unfamiliar territory.

"Do you really not know?" The man replied with a questioning look on his pink face.

"Know what?" She asked before sneezing from the cold.

"Let's get you aboard the ship and into some dry clothes. The King will want to see this anyway," he muttered the last part under his breath.

Serena clutched her jacket closer to her shivering body, trying desperately to extract any warmth that it would give.

"Who... _what_ are you exactly?" Serena asked curiously.

The man merely started rowing, ignoring her second question.

"Trumpkin," he grunted in his husky voice. "That's all you need to know."

They continued rowing in an awkward silence, Serena sneezing every couple of seconds. She tucked some of her black hair behind her ear, and couldn't help but notice Trumpkin staring at her out of the corner of her eye.

The sounds of yelling caused Serena to look up. Her jaw dropped as she stared up at a huge ship, painted with red and gold.

Trumpkin rowed the boat over to a ladder that hung beside the ship.

"Go on," he gestured for her to climb up the ladder.

Serena hesitantly stood up and began to climb up the swinging rope ladder, with Trumpkin right behind her.

She pulled herself up onto the deck, and would have fallen right back over if Trumpkin hadn't steadied her from behind. Her eyes widened to their limits as she examined that people on board. If people is what you would call them.

There were all kinds of creatures onboard the ship. One of them looked to be half man half goat, another one was a creature Serena knew as a centaur, as well as a minotaur. Not only were there magical creatures, but there were regular animals as well. Serena noticed a large, brown bear pulling up one of the sails, as well as a badger steering the ship. And they were all _talking_.

Serena stood there gaping at the wondrous sights in front of her before Trumpkin grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. As the two of the walked through the ship, Serena noticed the creatures stop what they were doing and stare open-mouthed at her as she passed. Serena shifted her gaze to the rather fascinating floorboards and played with the hem of her shirt uncomfortably. She hadn't realized they had stopped until Trumpkin spoke, causing her to look up.

"My King, you may want to see this," Trumpkin said solemnly.

In front of Serena stood a handsome boy who looked to be her age, if not a little older. He was tall, at least six inches taller than her, with long dark brown hair and matching brown eyes. _He's their king?_ Serena thought in disbelief. _But he's so young!_

She soon forgot her thoughts as his brown eyes met her green ones and he stared at her with a look of pure astonishment on his face.

"Susan," he whispered in a thick Spanish accent before pulling Serena into a tight embrace.


	2. So Close, And Still So Far

**So Close, And Still So Far**

Serena stood limp in the boys arms, bewilderment written on her now flushed face. _Susan...?_ She repeated slowly in her head. _What's he talking about?_

Over the boy's broad shoulder, she could see that some of the creatures had gathered around them, smiling and whispering to each other.

"It's Queen Susan," she heard one creature whisper.

"She's returned!" Another one said.

All the while, the strange boy held Serena in his strong arms before pulling away and holding her at arms length, a mixture of emotions painted on his handsome face.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were not coming back to Narnia," the boy stated, his hands still on Serena's shoulders. He furrowed his brow slightly as he looked into her eyes, but shrugged it off quickly.

Serena cocked her head to the side slightly, gazing up at the boy with questioning eyes.

"Narnia?" She asked furrowing her brow. "What's that? Who are you?"

The boy raised his dark eyebrows slightly before dropping his arms to his sides.

He gazed at her and asked softly, "You do not remember?"

"Remember wh-what?" Serena said, stuttering as her shoulders quivered from the cold. "And who's Susan?"

The boy's brown eyes widened as he stared down at Serena.

"My lord," Trumpkin said softly, causing Serena and the boy to look over at him. "I don't think it's her."

The boy turned his gaze back to Serena as he examined her closely. _It _has_ to be her_, he thought. She looked exactly as he remembered. Her raven hair fell just past her shoulders, although it flowed halfway down her back the last time he had seen her. Her pale skin and slender frame was just as he remembered. And although her deep sea eyes had changed from the pale blue they had been when he had last gazed into them, she was the vision of the beautiful Queen Susan he had kept so clearly in his mind since their bitter farewell a year prior.

As he gazed at Serena, the confused and unknowing look on her face confirmed Trumpkin's statement. _She does not remember me_, he thought sadly.

Serena noticed the boy's warm expression suddenly harden, and his strong jaw tensed.

"I am King Caspian, the Tenth," he said in his Spanish accent, his voice ringing with authority. "What is your name and how did you come to Narnia?"

Serena, still shivering on account of her soaking wet state, asked the question she had been dying to ask since Caspian first spoke.

"Who is this Susan person you all keep mentioning? My name in Serena Pendragon, and what-" she paused to sneeze into her hand. "-on _earth_ in Narnia?"

"If I may be so bold my liege," a new voice spoke causing Serena to look around for the source of the voice. "Perhaps we should allow the girl to change into some dry clothes and discuss the matter afterward."

Serena followed Caspian's gaze down to a badger who was the source of the voice. _A talking badger?_ She thought as she stared down at the animal.

"Of course, Trufflehunter," Caspian answered. "Please show her to the cabins and find something suitable for her to wear." He shifted his gaze back over to Serena.

She looked up at him, her mouth ajar, too shocked to speak.

"Come along dear," the badger called Trufflehunter said as he grabbed Serena's hand and began to guide her through the ship.

She tried her best to ignore the piercing stares of the creatures on board, but she couldn't help but glace up every couple of seconds, only to lock eyes with one of the creatures, causing her to shift her gaze to the floor once again.

After what seemed like forever, Trufflehunter led Serena into a large cabin. As the badger began to rummage through a large chest, Serena clutched her jacket closer to her shivering body and examined her surroundings. _This must be the King's cabin_, she thought as her green eyes scanned the room.

There was a large bed in the corner of the room and a red and gold tapestry with a lion on it hung from the wall. There was a table with various maps and navigation devices spread out on it in front of a large window which overlooked the vast blue ocean.

"Here you go dear. This looks like it will fit you," a kind voice said from behind Serena.

She turned around and looked down at the badger, who held a folded piece of light purple material up to Serena. She merely stared back down at him.

"You don't like it?" he said apologetically. "I'm sorry, I'm sure we can find something else that will fit you." He started back toward the chest.

"No! I'm sorry, it's not that," Serena said, taking the dress from Trufflehunter. "It's just that... I'm not really used to seeing talking badgers." She shifted her weight from foot to foot, slightly embarrassed.

Trufflehunter chuckled softly. "That's quite understandable, dear. But I do believe we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Trufflehunter," the badger said with a smile.

"Pleased to meet you Trufflehunter," Serena replied with a smile of her own. "I'm Serena Pendragon." She extended her hand for him to shake.

Trufflehunter merely stared at her outstretched hand before shrugging his furry shoulders and heading for the door. "I'll let you get changed," Trufflehunter said, waving over his shoulder. "Call me if you need anything." He shut the door behind him with a small thunk.

Still puzzled by Trufflehunter's handshake ignorance, Serena slipped off her wet clothes and pulled on the lilac dress. It fit perfectly. _Maybe too perfectly_, she thought as she gazed at herself in the mirror that hung on the wall. It was almost as if the dress was _made_ for her.

Serena shrugged it off and opened the cabin door, smoothing out her dress gently. She was greeted by a smiling Trufflehunter, who stood just outside the cabin door.

"You look lovely Serena," he said. "Just like her..." he muttered the last part too quietly for Serena to hear.

She blushed slightly and a small smile grew on her face. "Thanks," she said as they emerged from the cabin and onto the deck.

The wind blew Serena's dark hair about her face and she noticed that the ship had once again set sail. She tucked loose strand of hair behind her ear and walked through the ship with Trufflehunter, over to where Caspian and Trumpkin were standing. Why do they keep staring at me? Serena thought as the creatures on the ship continued to stop and gawk when she passed. Maybe it has something to do with this Susan person they kept mentioning.

"I'm telling you sire, it's not her," Trumpkin said to Caspian for at least the fourth time. "She wouldn't have forgotten her own name. And her eyes have changed. You can't _change _your eyes!"

"But how can that be?" Caspian replied, pacing around the deck. "She looks exactly like..." he trailed off and stopped mid-pace as his gaze fell on Serena, who was walking toward them with Trufflehunter at her side.

Caspian continued to stare at Serena. She looked exactly like Susan, wearing the very same dress that Susan wore when she and Caspian first met.

Serena and Trufflehunter came to a stop in front of Caspian as he continued to gaze at Serena. Her green-eyed gaze fell on Caspian, before she averted her eyes and shifted her weight to her other foot._ Exactly what Susan did_.

Trumpkin cleared his throat loudly, ripping Caspian from his thoughts. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly before speaking to Serena. "We will be landing ashore shortly. I hope that you will accompany Trumpkin and I to explore the island." Caspian glanced down at Serena, who smiled slightly.

"Of course, your majesty," she said, inclining her head slightly downward.

"Please," Caspian responded with a small smile of his own. "Call me Caspian."

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"So _this_ is Narnia?" Serena said referring to the ground she was walking on.

"Yes, the _entire country_ is called Narnia," Trumpkin responded gruffly, hoisting up his bow as it slid off his shoulder.

Trumpkin, Serena and Caspian were walking through the forested area of the island, discussing how Serena came to Narnia and filling her in on all the things about it. It was then that she found out that Trumpkin was a dwarf. A _dwarf_. _Oh my goodness_, Serena thought in wonder. _I'm in a magical land!_ A big smile spread across her and she looked up at the tall, green trees that almost hid the sky from view.

"What are you smiling about?" Caspian asked, noticing the big goofy grin plastered on Serena's face.

She continued to smile. "It's just that, less than two hours ago I was in England heading off to America, and now I'm in a magical land surrounded by dwarves and kings," she said, giggling. "It's so exciting!"

Caspian couldn't help but grin at her, even Trumpkin couldn't hide his small smile.

They continued walking in a comfortable silence, until Serena let out a terrified squeal, causing Caspian and Trumpkin to whip their heads in her direction, their hands on the hilt of their swords. The ground beneath Serena had given way to reveal a deep hole, at least five feet in diameter. She would have fallen right in had Caspian not grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to sturdy ground.

"Thanks," Serena said softly as Caspian released her. He could practically hear her rapid heartbeat as Trumpkin examined the hole.

The three of them peeked over the side of the hole and into the dark abyss. Suddenly, three pairs of red eyes ignited in the darkness, before a loud roar rumbled the ground beneath them.

"Run!" Trumpkin said before turning around and bolting in the direction they came in, his long beard flowing behind him.

"Come on!" Caspian yelled urgently as the roaring increased in volume and the ground shook violently.

He grabbed Serena's hand and pulled her after him, following Trumpkin's lead. Serena's eyes were wide as she ran with Caspian, the loud roars turning into low growls. She whipped her head around and caught a glimpse of three monstrous looking creatures emerging from the hole. They looked like miniature gorillas, no more than four feet tall, minus the fur. Their wart covered skin looked slimy and their red eyes glowed with fury. The largest creature let out a menacing howl before all three creatures charged after them.

"Wha-what are they?" Serena screamed breathlessly as she, Caspian and Trumpkin sprinted through the forest, the creatures hot on their trail.

"I do not know!" Caspian yelled back, still pulling Serena alongside him.

Out of no where, Trumpkin tripped and fell with a grunt, spilling his bow and arrows all over the forest floor.

"Trumpkin!" Caspian and Serena screamed running to his side.

"Are you alright?" Caspian asked as he pulled Trumpkin to his feet, shooting a glance at the approaching monsters every second or so.

Trumpkin merely grunted. "You two run for it, I'll hold them off," he said and before Caspian or Serena could stop him, he drew his sword and ran towards the snarling creatures.

"Trumpkin, no!" Serena screamed starting after him, before Caspian grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him, as if to protect her from the approaching danger.

Caspian and Serena watched in horror as the creature in front threw Trumpkin aside like a used tissue and continued towards them. Oh no, Serena thought, adrenaline pumping through her body and her heart beating painfully in her chest.

Caspian tensed and drew his sword. "Serena, run for the ship. I will take care of them," he said turning around and looking deeply into Serena's wide, green eyes.

"But-" she started.

"Go!" Caspian cut her off and advanced forward. He broke into a run before Serena could stop him, halting about 15 feet away from her. Caspian stood, sword draw, awaiting the terrifying monster that ran towards him, the other two not far behind.

Serena gasped, frozen on the spot as the first creature lunged at Caspian. "Caspian!" She screamed in terror as it knocked the young king to the ground. It let out an ear piercing screech and lay motionless on top of Caspian, the end of a sword sticking out of it's back.

Serena sighed in relief as Caspian sat up, until she saw him struggling to push the monster off of himself.

Panic hit her like a hammer to a nail as the other two creatures, no 15 yards away charged full speed at Caspian, who lay trapped beneath the first monster's slimy body.

Serena whorled around, desperately trying to find some way to help Caspian. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Trumpkin's bow, arrows scattered around it. _I've never used a bow in my life_, Serena thought before shaking it out of her head. _But I have to do something!_ Sheer determination covered her crippling fear as she snatched up Trumpkin's bow as well as an arrow.

A jolt ran through Serena's body as she fitted the arrow onto the string of the bow, her hands shaking violently. _Whoa_, she gasped as she pulled the arrow back and held it at eye level. She felt as if her eyesight had suddenly become more precise, her arms slowly ceased their shaking giving her a steadier aim on the monster, now only eight feet away from Caspian. Serena's eyes squinted in concentration as she took her stance. She felt as though she had been an archer all her life, even though she knew she'd never even _seen_ a real bow, other than in movies.

Serena took her final aim on the monster closest to Caspian, now a mere three feet away from him. _Please work_, she prayed silently before releasing the arrow with a small _twang._

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Caspian gaped up at the creature in shock as it let out an agonizing scream and collapsed in a crumpled heap at his feet, an arrow protruding from its chest.

Still half-trapped under the first monster, he whipped his head around to look behind him. Caspian caught sight of Serena, poised with Trumpkin's fallen bow, aiming another arrow at the third creature before releasing it with grace, striking it in the heart.

At that moment, as he stared up at Serena, Caspian knew. The way she held her position a few seconds after firing an arrow. The way she pursed her red lips and creased her brow in concentration. Even in a different colour, her eyes held the same blazing look as she took aim on her target. _It is her..._ Caspian thought in disbelief as he continued to stare open-mouthed at Serena.

Whether she knew it or not, this green-eyed girl _was_ Queen Susan.


	3. Memories

**Memories**

Serena dropped her arm to her side and relaxed her stance, holding Trumpkin's bow tightly as her fear finally caught up with her. She stared at the scene infront of her, green eyes wide. The three gorilla-looking creatures were all dead, one was still ontop of Caspian and the other two lay just at his feet, slain by _her_.

_Oh my gosh.._. Serena allowed Trumpkin's bow to fall from her trembling hand and onto the forest floor with a small _clatter_. Her expressionless face soon clouded over with shocked confusion as she fully grasped what had just happened. _How did I _do_ that?_! She thought, staggering back slightly as the previous events came back to her. Her fear, her determination, the creatures, Trumpkin's bow, the sensation that ran through her body as soon as she touched the smooth wood—Serena gasped as she remembered why she had picked up the bow in the first place.

"Caspian!" She yelled, running to where he still lay beneath the dead beast, watching her every move.

Caspian watched as Serena ran towards him, concern written on her beautiful face. _This proves everything_, he thought in wonder. _Serena is Susan, she _has _to be_.

"Caspian, are you alright?" Serena asked breathlessly as she knelt down beside him.

"I am... fine," he answered slowly, his brown eyes never leaving Serena's. "But," he added as an after thought. "I would be better if you would help me get this thing off." He nodded his head at the monster, still motionless on the lower half of his body.

"Oh right!" Serena said, slightly flustered. She stood up quickly and helped Caspian heave the slimy beast off of his legs.

Serena helped Caspian to his feet before going insane with worry and bombarding him with questions.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" She asked hysterically, circling around Caspian as she searched for cuts or bruises. All the while, Caspian stared down at her, his dark eyebrows raised. "Did that... _thing_ break anything? _Please_ say something!"

Serena stopped infront of Caspian and looked at him with pleading eyes. He looked down at her before breaking into a fit of laughter.

Relief washed over her pale face before she knitted her brows in confusion as he continued to laugh.

"_What_ is so funny?" Serena asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Nothing," Caspian gasped between laughs. "You just care a lot."

Serena's expression softened as her face flushed slightly. She dropped her arms to her sides, a small smile playing on her lips. "Are you sure you're alright?" She asked Caspian once again, cocking her head to the side.

"I told you, I am fine," Caspian had stopped laughing by then, and his expression became serious as he looked deeply into Serena's green eyes. "Thanks to you."

She averted her eyes and gazed off into the distance, a mixture of emotions on her face. All of a sudden, her sea-green eyes grew wide and she gasped dramatically.

"Trumpkin!" Serena screamed as she sprinted past Caspian and over to where the beast has chucked the dwarf.

Caspian swiftly pulled his sword out of the dead creature's belly before bolting after Serena.

Trumpkin lay face down on the forest floor, his sword lying a couple of feet away from him. Serena ran over and knelt down beside him, Caspian right on her heels.

He stood beside her as she flipped Trumpkin onto his back. "Trumpkin?" She said quietly, her voice cracking. The dwarf still remained motionless.

Trumpkin's eyes were closed, his mouth hung open slightly and there was a peaceful expression on his pink face, as well as a cut on his head, which was bleeding profusely. Caspian knelt beside Serena, who hung her head allowing her raven hair to hide her face from Caspian's view. He reached out and gently tucked some of Serena's hair behind her ear causing her to look over at him. Caspian's gaze softened as he looked at Serena, her green eyes now swimming with tears. _I've seen that look before_, Caspian thought as he gazed down at Serena, she up at him, the hopeless look in her eyes the same even in a different colour. _And I know exactly where..._

Their minor trance was interuppted by a quiet coughing infront of them. Serena whipped her head in the dwarf's direction.

Trumpkin sat up slowly, shaking his sore head. He looked up and saw Caspian and Serena looking down at him, relief painted on their faces.

"What are you lot staring at?" He said gruffly, eying Serena's glossy eyes and Caspian's small smile.

"Oh Trumpkin!" Serena cried as she threw her arms around that dwarf's neck.

"Erm..." Trumpkin said, his pink face growing pinker. He glanced over Serena's shoulder at Caspian, who chuckled softly, knowing all too well about the dwarf's awkward nature.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Serena said as she released Trumpkin, her tears gone and her face glowing with happiness. "We thought you were dead!"

Trumpkin grunted and stood up.

"You _clearly_ aren't used to this sort of thing," he grumbled, brushing dirt off of his stubby arms. He stopped and froze suddenly, then whorled around to face Serena and Caspian

"What happened? Where are the beasts?" His eyes searched frantically before his gaze fell on the three dead creatures twenty feet away from them, two with arrows protruding from their chests. Trumpkin felt on his back for his bow and arrows, and when he didn't find them, he turned to look at Caspian.

Caspian merely shook his head in response. Trumpkin's beady eyes grew wide as he shifted his gaze to Serena. She looked from Trumpkin to Caspian, then back again. _What's going on?_ She thought, feeling uncomfortable under their intense stares.

"Aslan's mane..." Trumpkin whispered softly.

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"I told you, I don't _know_ how I did it," Serena said to Trumpkin as the three of them walked back to the ship. "It just sort of... happened."

"Queen Susan was a master archer," Trumpkin pressed on. "And you look exactly like Queen Susan, there has to be more to this than meets the eye."

"All I know is that as soon as I picked up the bow," she continued. "my senses sort of sharpened, and I felt like I had been an archer my entire life. Then I just sort of aimed and fired," Serena finished shrugging her shoulders.

Caspian walked silently behind them, lost is his own world. _She has never used a bow in her life_, he thought, repeating what Serena had said to them. _Yet her aim was perfect... her stance strong... that can only mean one thing..._

"My lord?" Trumpkin's husky voice ripped Caspian from his thoughts. "We've arrived."

Just as he said, they had emerged from the forest and onto the beach once again. The large red and gold ship lay infront of them, the crew bustling around and shouting orders to eachother.

"My liege? I come bearing important news!" said a voice Serena didn't recognize. She looked around, trying to find its source.

"It's about the Kings and Queens of Old," the voice continued.

Learning from her last experience, Serena looked down and locked eyes with a mouse. She let out a surprised squeak and grabbed Caspian's arm, staring down at the mouse with an astonished expression.

"So sorry to have startled you my lady," the mouse said before bowing with flourish. "I will be sure not to next time."

Serena continued to gawk at the small creature before her, too shocked for words. _A badger is one thing, but a _mouse_?_

"Serena," Caspian's deep voice spoke from beside her. She looked at him, her expression not changing. "Meet Reepicheep, one of Narnia's most noble knights."

"Thank you my lord," Reepicheep said, bowing once again. "Now my King, about the Kings and Queens of Old—"

"Caspian! Trumpkin!" A gleeful voice rang from behind Reepicheep.

Running towards them was a small girl with shoulder length brown hair who looked to be about eleven or twelve years old, wearing a long red and blue dress as well as a big smile. A tall boy came strolling behind her, about the same height as Serena if not a bit taller, who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen.

Serena, realizing that she was still clutching Caspian's arm rather tightly, let go of him, her pale face flushing slightly as the little girl gave Caspian a flying hug.

"They're back," finished Reepicheep, a bit too late, a big smile plastered on his furry face.

"Lucy," Caspian said as he gave the little girl a brotherly hug. "It is so good to see you!"

"Trumpkin!" The girl named Lucy cried as she let go of Caspian and flug herself at the dwarf. "I've missed you so much!"

To Serena's, as well as everyone's surprise, Trumpkin hugged the girl back, looking overjoyed. Everyone knew Trumpkin hated when people showed too much emotion towards him, so this random display of emotion towards Lucy shocked them all into silence.

"What are you all staring at?" Trumpkin asked grumpily, his expression changing to one of annoyance.

Lucy giggled. "Oh Trumpkin, you're exactly the same aren't you?" She said as the brown haired boy came and stood beside her. Trumpkin rolled his eyes and looked away, crossing his arms.

Caspian turned to the boy and smiled. "It is good to have you back Edmund."

"It's good to _be_ back Caspian, I mean _King_ Caspian," he said, bowing dramatically, a smirk on his face. Lucy giggled and joined in, before she caught sight of Serena, who was standing behind Caspian.

Her jaw dropped and she froze mid-curtsy. Edmund followed Lucy's gaze to Serena and did a complete double take.

Caspian cleared his throat as the two of them continued to stare. "Edmund, Lucy. This is Serena," Caspian announced, gesturing towards her.

Serena shifted her weight and looked at the ground. "Umm, hi," she said looking up briefly only to meet their open-mouthed stares.

Lucy was the first to recover herself. She took a couple of steps toward Serena and tilted her head to the side. "You look _exactly_ like my sister!" She exclaimed while Edmund still stood gawking at Serena. "Oh, well except for you eyes..."

Serena chuckled softly. "So I've heard," she said glancing at Caspian before looking back at Lucy with a small smile.

Lucy giggled again, a look of wonder still on her face. "I'm Lucy Pevensie, and that's my brother Edmund." Upon hearing his name, Edmund snapped out of his trance and gave Serena a small wave.

"Pleased to meet you, Lucy, Edmund," Serena responded. "I'm Serena Pendragon," she continued extending her hand for Lucy to shake.

The little girl smile and shook Serena's hand. "At least some people know what a handshake is," Serena laughed before glancing at Trufflehunter, who had waddled over and now stood beside Reepicheep.

Lucy laughed, her face glowing with joy. "I know what you mean."

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Night fell before Serena knew it. She had spent most of the afternoon with Lucy and Trumpkin, who Serena noticed were very close. Lucy was a sweet girl who seemed to always have a smile on her face. Serena hadn't seen much of Edmund after their awkward greeting, but she had soon forgotten about him while she was with Lucy and Trumpkin. Serena had listened intently as they reminised about old times.

_Wow_, Serena had thought in wonder as Lucy told her about how she and her siblings had ruled over Narnia during the Golden Age 1300 years ago (Narnian time), and how they had fought the Telmarines a year before in order to gain peace between the Telmarines and the Narnians, as well as to restore Caspian to his rightful throne. _This little girl is a _queen_!_ _She's been to multiple battles, and she's not even twelve years old!  
_

These wonderful thoughts of Narnia floated around Serena's head as she and Lucy began to doze off to sleep. Caspian had insisted that they stay in his cabin, and he and Edmund sleep in the quartermaster's cabin. In the end, Serena and Lucy reluctantly agreed, and now they lay side by side on Caspian's large bed.

_I can't believe this is really happening!_ Serena thought as she stared at the wooden ceiling. _It all seems so unreal... especially this Susan girl..._

"Lucy, are you awake?" Serena whispered into the darkness.

"Hmmm," she heard Lucy reply softly.

Serena sat up and faced her. "What was Susan like?"

Lucy sat up as well and turned toward her, the moonlight streaming through the window illuminating her face.

"Well, she was a queen like me, but I guess you already knew that..." Lucy trailed off, her expression turning grave and serious. When she spoke again her tone had completely changed.

"She doesn't believe in Narnia anymore," Lucy whispered slowly, sadly. "Even though she was there with us, she ruled over Narnia with us for years... she still says that Narnia was all just a game we used to play."

Lucy shifted her position and continued. "You know, even though you look almost exactly like Susan, from what I've seen, you're nothing like her," she observed.

Serena tilted her head to the side, a curious look on her face. "How so?"

"Well," Lucy said as she gazed out the window. "Susan was always close-minded. If I ever told her about something she didn't see with her own eyes, she would never believe me." Lucy looked back at Serena. "And judging by how well you're taking coming to Narnia, I would say that you aren't close-minded at all."

Serena paused before asking curiously, "Did something happen between her and Caspian?"

Lucy looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Serena breifly explained what had happened when she was first brought to Caspian earlier that day. The look of happiness in his brown eyes before he had pulled her into his strong arms. The look of shock—even disappointment on his face when he found out that she wasn't Susan.

Lucy was silent for a couple of seconds. "Well, I guess you could say Caspian was in love with Susan," Lucy said causing Serena's sea-green eyes to widen in realization. "But Susan, and my brother Peter, can never return to Narnia."

"That makes sense..." Serena spoke quietly, before lying back down on the bed.

Lucy left Serena to her thoughts and lay back down beside her and drifted off to sleep.

_Caspian was in love with Susan_, Serena repeated in her head as she stared into the darkness. _He must have been so sad when she left..._

_I wonder what Caspian is thinking about right now_, Serena thought before falling into a deep sleep.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Caspian stood alone in the moonlight, his long brown hair blowing in the light ocean breeze. How long he stood there he didn't know, for he had lost himself in his thoughts.

A year earlier, when the Kings and Queens of Old left Narnia once again, Queen Susan had taken something that didn't belong to her, Caspian's heart. She had told him that she was never returning to Narnia, but he never truly to gave up hope. They shared their first and last bitter-sweet kiss, then Queen Susan walked away from Caspian forever.

Not a day went by where he didn't think of her. The expressionless look on her beautiful face as she turned her back on him haunted Caspian's every waking moment. Then Serena came, the splitting image of the woman forever occupying his thoughts. They seemed so different, especially with Serena's emerald eyes, but Serena's perfect marksmanship and shocking resemblance to Susan made it even harder for Caspian to believe that they were two different people.

He clenched his fists and leaned against the railing as the ship continued to sail into the night. He thought back to the day the Kings and Queens had left, the day of his private meeting with his professor.

_"Caspian," Dr. Cornelius had said softly to him as he stood on his balcony, staring at the starlit sky. "You know that High King Peter and Queen Susan will never return to Narnia."_

_Caspian clenched his jaw and hung his head before whispering, "I know."_

_Dr. Cornelius walked up to Caspian and lay a hand on his broad shoulder. "I fear you are meant to have this, my King," he said pushing a small piece of paper into Caspian's hand._

_Caspian looked down at the paper curiously. "What is this?"_

_"It is a part of a prophecy, and I have reason to believe it has something to do with you," with that, Dr. Cornelius turned around and walked away, leaving Caspian staring after him, a confused look painted on his handsome face._

_He slowly unfolded the paper and read the small paragraph written on it._

Caspian snapped out of his thoughts as the ship sailed over a large wave. He returned his thoughts to that night with the professor. _It makes perfect sense_, he thought, running a hand through his dark hair as he puzzled over Serena and her purpose in Narnia. _She has to be Susan... doesn't she?_

He repeated the verse of the prophecy in his head.

_So a body shall follow the spirit as told,_

_Then return to Narnia a Queen of Old._


	4. This Is Home

**This Is Home**

"Serena wake up! Serena wake up!" A voice screamed in Serena's ear, ripping her from her deep sleep and causing her to fall out of Caspian's large bed with a yelp, followed by a large crash.

Serena sat up and looked around frantically. "Wuzzgoinon?" She said groggily, ignoring the pain in her side from the impact with the wood floor. As her vision focused she noticed Lucy practically bouncing with excitement, an enormous smile plastered on her face.

"We're here! We're here! Oh, come _on_!" With that Lucy bounded out of the room, leaving Serena to stumble after her.

Why _am I so tired?_ Serena wondered, rubbing her eyes as she strolled onto the deck of the ship. She opened her eyes once again, only to walk straight into Edmund.

"Whoa," he said as he gripped Serena's shoulders to keep her from toppling over. "Tired are we?"

"_Yes_," she grumbled. "And I have no idea wh—" she paused to take a huge yawn. "—why."

Edmund let go of her shoulders, then smirked as she wobbled slightly.

"I guess you're not used to Narnian time," he continued watching Serena as she yawned again, only to stumble drunkenly as the ship sailed over a large wave. With that he burst into a fit of laughter.

"_What_ are you laughing at?" She asked, annoyed.

"Oh nothing," Edmund said, shrugging as he regained his composure. "You just look so _pathetic_ right now."

Serena looked at him with pure and utter loathing—wondering how this boy could go from the most awkward greeting ever not 24 hours ago, to openly making fun of her—which resulted in Edmund erupting in another bout of boisterous laughter.

"Edmund! Serena!" Lucy yelled, waving from the other side of the boat. "Come on! Quickly!"

Serena stuck her tongue out at a grinning Edmund before joining Lucy at the edge of the ship.

"Look! Look!" Lucy shrieked, jumping up and down and pointing out to sea. "Can't you see it? We're back!"

Serena's sea-green eyes followed Lucy's outstretched finger and came across an enormous stone castle on the horizon. Trees covered most of the grounds and beautifully coloured flags blew freely at the top of some of the towers.

Serena gasped and looked back at Lucy, excitement completely wiping away her fatigue. "Oh my gosh!" She squealed, with a bright smile. "It's so beautiful! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Of course not silly," Lucy giggled. "This is Narnia!" She walked, or rather skipped in a circle around Serena, her shoulder length hair bouncing with each leap. "That's Caspian's castle. See that huge tree over there?" Lucy pointed to one of the castle's many verandas and there, as Lucy said, sat a massive green tree. "That's what we used to get home the last time we were here."

Serena furrowed her eyebrows. "You used a _tree_ to get home?"

Lucy eyed Serena's confused expression before chuckling softly. "Don't worry, you'll get used to Narnia eventually."

_Wow_, Serena thought in wonder as the boat drew closer to the enormous fortress. "I can't wait to take a look around!" She said, her huge smile growing bigger.

"Wow, that didn't take long," Edmund observed joining Lucy and Serena at the side of the ship.

"What didn't take long?" Lucy asked curiously as Serena continued to gawk at the palace on the horizon.

Edmund snickered. "Serena just went from exhausted to hyper active in the course of 20 seconds."

Upon hearing her name, Serena snapped out of her trance and turned her green-eyed gaze to Edmund. "Sorry, I missed that. What happened?" She asked looking from Edmund to Lucy and back again. "Were you talking about me?"

Lucy and Edmund stared at Serena for a few seconds, looked back at one another, then started laughing again.

Serena tucked some of her raven hair behind her ear and crossed her arms. "Why is everyone laughing at me today?" She asked sending Lucy and Edmund annoyed glares.

"Sorry," Lucy apologized, still giggling a little.

"Yeah," Edmund said, attempting and failing to stifle his laughter with his hand. He managed to choke out something along the lines of 'sorry' before snorting loudly, causing him and Lucy to break into fresh peels.

Serena's gaze softened as she watched the two red faced siblings giggle uncontrollably. Despite herself, Serena found herself cracking up as well and before she knew it, the three of them were standing there laughing like idiots.

Upon hearing the commotion, Caspian and Trumpkin made their way over to where Lucy, Serena and Edmund stood still laughing up a storm.

"What is going on here?" Caspian asked as he and Trumpkin curiously studied the three roaring children.

"N-nothing," Lucy gasped, tears now streaming down her smiling face.

At this point, Edmund was barely keeping himself upright, and Serena was clutching her sore sides, both with tears flowing freely down their faces as well.

All the while Caspian stared at them, eyebrows raised while Trumpkin looked at them skeptically.

"Well that's a very appropriate way for Kings and Queens of Old to behave," Trumpkin grumbled sarcastically, crossing his stubby arms.

"Sor-ry," Edmund choked out, clutching his stomach as he held up his hand. "Just gi-give us a mi-nute."

Caspian grinned and shook his head as Edmund, Lucy and Serena all stood up straight and began taking simultaneous deep breaths.

"Alright," Serena said after their fourth breath. "We should be okay now." She smiled up at Caspian sheepishly.

"Anyhow," Caspian continued, folding his arms across his chest, still smirking. "We will be making port soon, and—"

"I know! I'm so glad to be back!" Lucy cut in, wiping the last traces of tears from her eyes, still smiling infectiously. "Can we give Serena a grand tour? She can't wait to look around. She said so herself! How long until we arrive?" By then, Lucy was positively bouncing.

Caspian chuckled, shaking some of his dark hair out of his eyes. "I was getting to that. Trumpkin and I have some matters to attend to, but after we will surely show Serena around." he said smiling at Serena who smiled back.

"Oh, _must_ we wait that long?" Lucy whined, looking slightly disappointed.

"Yeah," Edmund added. "We were royalty once too, we know how long those 'matters' can take to sort out." He made quotation marks in the air with two of his fingers.

"If it would be alright with you, my leige," Reepicheep said from the ground, causing everyone to look down at him. "I will escort them around the premises until you and Trumpkin are finished."

Caspian placed a hand on his chin and looked at the ground in thought. "Well..." he began.

"Come on Caspian, please!" Lucy pouted, putting on her best puppy dog face. "Pretty please?"

Serena giggled softly, studying Caspian's reaction. _Even he can't refuse face like that!_

Caspian grinned at Lucy as she continued to gaze at him. "Alright," he said after a minute, causing Lucy to smile triumphantly. "Trumpkin and I will finish as soon a we can."

"Alright then!" Lucy said impatiently, still smiling. "How long until we arrive?"

"I would say about half an hour," Caspian said, gazing off into the horizon.

Serena didn't even attempt to hide her excitement by then. She smiled widely was practically jumping with excitement.

"Serena!" Lucy cried from the edge of the ship. "We're almost there. Come see!"

"Coming!" She yelled gleefully, flashing Caspian, Edmund and Trumpkin a bright smile before running over to join Lucy.

Trumpkin grunted and walked off, shouting orders to the crew as he went, while Edmund and Caspian grinned, observed the two girls laughing and talking happily, without a care in the world.

It was like the sight that Edmund had never seen at home. He never saw Lucy and Susan having fun together, Susan apparently was to 'mature' for Lucy's 'games'. Serena and Susan were identical, but Edmund could have told them apart any day of the week.

Susan almost always wore a frown, and she seemed to darken Edmund's spirits whenever she opened her mouth.

Serena on the other hand, had a childish, free-spirited air about her, and her smile was contagious. She and Lucy had grown closer in the past couple of hours, then Lucy and Susan had in their entire lives. Watching Serena laugh and play with Lucy made him feel that she was the older sister he never had.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"This is amazing!" Serena cried blissfully as she spun about the veranda, Lucy giggling beside her.

They had arrived at the enormous stone castle 15 minutes earlier before going their separate ways. Caspian and Trumpkin had left to deal with some royal business, while Lucy and Serena ran about the castle, exploring 'secret passages' or poking suits of armour, Edmund and Reepicheep trailing along after them.

They now stood on the vast veranda from where Lucy, Edmund and their siblings had departed on their last visit to Narnia.

"Isn't it just?" Lucy replied as Reepicheep and Edmund caught up with them. "Oh! Come on Serena. I want to show you something." Lucy grabbed Serena's hand and steered her toward the huge green tree that she had seen from a distance back on the ship.

Serena placed her hands on the tree's massive trunk, running her fingers along the rough bark before turning to Lucy.

"How did this tree get you home?" she asked curiously.

"That's easy," Edmund cut in from behind them. "The tree opened itself up and we walked through it."

Serena turned around and looked at Edmund as if he had suddenly grown two heads.

Edmund's face was perfectly serious. "That actually _is_ how it happened," he said, smirking at Serena's expression.

Serena looked at Lucy, who nodded her agreement. "It's true," she said, facing the tree once more. "It sort of untwisted itself, then we walked through it—back into our world."

Serena looked up at the huge tree, wondering how in the world a tree could 'untwist' itself. [i]I don't think I'll ever get used to this place,[/i] she thought as she tried once again to grasp all of the wondrous things that were happening all around her.

"My lord," Reepicheep said from behind them, causing Edmund, Serena and Lucy to turn and face Caspian, Trumpkin and an elderly man walking towards them. "Back so soon?"

"Obviously," Trumpkin grumbled.

Caspian shot Trumpkin a 'don't start' look before addressing the rest of the group. "Yes, the professor wanted to speak with us."

Serena eyed the old man. He was short and stout, with silver-gray hair and a long beard. His half moon glasses failed to hide the twinkle in his deep blue eyes.

He examined Serena right back, a strange mixture of expressions on his wrinkled face.

"It's great to see you again, Dr. Cornelius," Lucy said, addressing the man with a smile.

Dr. Cornelius ripped his eyes away from Serena and looked at Lucy. "Likewise, my Queen," he smiled back before turning his attention to Serena. "I don't believe we have met. My name is Dr. Cornelius," he said extending his hand to Serena.

She stared at him before slowly taking his hand in her own. "Serena Pendragon," she managed to choke out. "Nice to meet you." _He didn't think I was Susan_.... she thought astonished, looking around and realizing that she wasn't the only one surprised by this.

Lucy and Edmund looked genuinely puzzled, while Caspian looked downright shocked. _The professor didn't think she was Susan_, he thought, his jaw still hanging open. _He _knew_ that she wasn't Susan. How can that be...?_

"You called for me sire?" Trufflehunter's voice said from behind them.

"Yes," Dr. Cornelius answered. "Now that we are all here, there is much to be discussed." He shot Caspian a meaningful look before turning around and walking away from the group. "Follow me, please."

Caspian and Serena exchanged confused glances, before following the professor as he lead the group away from the veranda.

They strolled through the crowded castle and out the large front doors, continuing down a small hill. They walked in silence, all of them wondering where the professor was leading them and what was going on.

Dr. Cornelius stopped near the forested area, infront of a small opening. He turned to face the group once more.

Caspian took charge. "Where are we?" he asked the professor. "What is going on?"

Dr. Cornelius smiled mysteriously. "I can only show you the doorway, I cannot make you walk through it," he said.

Serena cocked her head to the side, a puzzled expression clouding over her face.

"Doorway?" Reepicheep repeated, glancing at the opening.

"I have shown you the way, now you must decide to follow it. She is expecting you," with that, Dr. Cornelius began making his way back up to the castle, leaving the seven confused friends staring after him.

"Expecting us...?" Lucy said slowly.

"_She?_" Edmund added, scratching his head.

Serena looked around at everyone. "What does he mean 'we must decide to follow it'?" she asked. "What must we follow?"

Caspian and Trumpkin looked at eachother before nodding. "Only one way to find out," Trumpkin grunted as he and Caspian walked through the door and into a dark cave.

"Wait for us!" Trufflehunter cried before he, Lucy and Edmund ran in after them.

Serena still stood outside of the opening, stupefied. _She is expecting us?_ She repeated the professor's words slowly in her head. _What can all this mean?_

"Let's go, my Lady," Reepicheep said from the ground, having waited outside for her.

"Alright," she said softly as she and Reepicheep decended into the small doorway.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Serena's sea-green eyes scanned the dimly lit cave. She could hear Reepicheep scurrying at her feet, sniffing the odd surroundings.

"I hear something," Serena heard Edmund's voice say from somewhere behind her. His voice echoed through out the cave.

"I hear it too," Trumpkin's husky voice replied.

Serena felt a presence beside her, and she turned to see Caspian's tall silhouette at her side.

"It sounds like running water," he said, his thick accent bouncing off the walls of the cavern.

Trufflehunter began walking deeper into the cave. "It's coming from over here," he said, Reepicheep scuttling after him.

Caspian and Serena started after them, followed by Edmund, then Lucy and Trumpkin bringing up the rear. _What is this place?_[ Serena wondered as they descended into a small chamber. There was a small waterfall flowing into a spring of clear water.

"What is this place?" Lucy asked as if reading Serena's thoughts as she walked over to the spring. She knelt down beside th small pool and gingerly dipped her fingers into the clear water.

"It's so cold," Lucy said softly as she removed her wet hand from the water.

Serena walked slowly to one of the walls of the cave, her green eyes squinting in the lack of light. She could barely make it out, but there were some sort of drawings on the rocky walls. The first one looked like four people standing infront of four chairs. The second was almost like a lamp post with something standing beside it. She lifted her hand and ran her slender fingers along each picture.

She turned to look at Caspian who had come and stood beside her. "What is this?" She asked, her right hand still resting on the wall.

Caspan squinted his brown eyes and leaned closer to the wall. "These are the Kings and Queens of Old," he said gesturing to the picture of the four people. He pointed to each person as he said their names, "King Edmund, High King Peter, Queen Susan..." Caspian trailer off and paused for a couple of seconds as his finger lingered on Queen Susan's picture. "...and Queen Lucy," he finished lamely, hastily trying to cover up his momentary loss of words.

"Oh," Serena said softly. _So this is them_, she thought as she gazed at the drawing. Her eyes stopped on Queen Susan. From what she could see, Susan had the same features as her. She stood tall, as Serena did, she had Serena's long raven hair as well as her sea-green eyes. Serena thought back to Caspian's reactions to everything that had to do with Susan.

The sadness that seemed to sweep over his body, the shadow that clouded over his face, the sorrow reflected in his deep brown eyes. _He really must love her_, Serena thought as she turned to look up at Caspian, the shadows reflected on her face failing to hide the sympathy in her eyes. _But they were forced to part..._

Caspian turned his brown eyed gaze to Serena, a soft yet unreadable expression on his handsome face.

"Lucy?" Edmund said from across the chamber.

Caspian and Serena turned to see Trumpkin and Edmund standing beside Lucy, Edmund waving a hand infront of her face. Lucy stood silent and unmoving, her head hung and her eyes closed.

"Lucy!" Trumpkin yelled, a hint of urgency in his gruff voice as he laid a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

Upon Trumpkin's touch, Lucy's raised her head and her eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of fluorescent purple irises illuminating the darkness.

Serena gasped as the cave began to light up. The pictures on the walls glowed like fireflies as the ground beneath their feet slowly began to gleam.

"What's going on?" Trufflehunter asked, side stepping the patches of ground as they continued grow brighter.

"I don't know," Caspian replied, backing into Serena slightly as he looked around the incandescent cave.

"My King, look above us," Reepicheep said, pointing to the ceiling.

They all looked up at the ceiling, which was now the splitting image of the night sky, illuminated with a thousand bright stars.

"What is this?" Trumpkin said roughly as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, scanning the chamber for danger.

"Be still, friends," an unfamiliar female voice echoed through the cave.

They all ripped their gazes from the glowing cavern and turned to the source of the voice: _Lucy_.


	5. United We Stand

**United We Stand**

_That's Lucy?_ Serena thought, her eyes wide as she and the others walked over to where Edmund and Trumpkin stood around Lucy.

"I am the oracle who resides in this cave," Lucy, or rather the oracle continued, the glow from her violet eyes combined with the light from the cave casting an eerie shadow on her face. "When Queen Lucy touched the water from my spring, she allowed me to access her body. I bring grave news this day."

"What have you done to Lucy?" Edmund demanded taking a menacing step toward the oracle from where he stood beside Serena.

"Peace, my young king. I am merely using your sister's body as a vessel in order to convey my message to you," the oracle said, her soft, yet powerful voice sang like a perfectly harmonized choir.

Caspian stepped forward, standing even taller then he already was. "What is your message?" he said, his deep voice ringing with authority.

"Some of you may know better than others," she said, glancing at Caspian before continuing. "But another prophecy has been made. One that will determine the fate of Narnia."

They all stood silent, their mouths ajar. _A... prophecy?_ Serena furrowed her eyebrows.

"What is this prophecy you speak of?" Trufflehunter asked, speaking for the rest of the speechless group.

The oracle closed her eyes and recited the prophecy:

_"The mind is the chest, the body is the key_

_When the chest is unlocked the spirit is set free,_

_The body and mind may wander as they please_

_But the spirit has laws that it must appease,_

_Two spirits of the same body will be_

_But only if the minds live separetely,_

_So a body shall follow the spirit as told_

_Then return to Narnia a Queen of Old._"

Caspian's whole body tensed as she recited the verse of the prophecy in his possession. _So it is true..._

The oracle continued:

_"But before the queen comes a spirit divided_

_Whose future here has been decided,_

_For one sees to believe and fails to have hope_

_When believing as seeing is how one must cope,_

_The believer and a heart so pure shall unite_

_And journey beyond Narnia to restore the light,_

_When light overcomes darkness in a test of heart_

_The magic will return and our heroes depart."_

The oracle concluded her speech by opening her violet eyes once again.

"Whoa, long prophecy..." Edmund grumbled earning him an elbow to the ribs, courtesy of Serena.

The oracle's gaze rested on Serena. "You are not Queen Susan, I presume?"

Serena shifted uncomfortably as everyone turned to face her. "No, I'm not," she said softly.

The oracle nodded once. "Then you are the believer, Serena Pendragon."

Serena blinked, shock and confusion clouding over her. "How did you know my--" she cut herself off, deciding that that question was irrelivant. "I'm the what?"

"The believer," the oracle explained. "You are half of the spirit divided. You, Serena Pendragon, are the other half of Susan Pevensie's soul."

Serena stared at her, mesmerized by her words. _Susan is the other half of my spirit?_

Serena wasn't the only one mesmerized. The rest of the group stared open-mouthed. Millions of different thoughts were flashing through Caspian's head. _She's not Susan?_ he thought, confused. His brown eyes widened as realization hit him, giving him a sudden urge to kick himself. _Then the Queen the prophecy was talking about must have been Lucy..._

"Beards and breadsticks..." Trumpkin said randomly, causing Edmund to scoff involentarily as he remembered when he had first heard Trumpkin's odd saying.

The oracle ignored them and continued, "The believer will help decide the fate of Narnia. Follow the wrong path, and Narnia, as well as the Narnians, disappear forever."

There were quiet gasps throughout the chamber.

"Oh..." Serena mumbled as she began to twiddle her thumbs nervously. _No pressure there..._

Caspian laid a reassuring and on her shoulder earning him a grateful smile in response.

"The trees are slowly receading back into themselves," the oracle spoke once again. "This only occurs when Narnia is going into a period of darkness. When the magic fades, the talking animals will disappear, followed by the centaurs, then the fauns, the minotaurs, until all of Narnia's creatures are extinct. Once Narnia's creatures are extinct, the magic will completely diminish, bringing the end of Narnia as we know it."

"No!" Trufflehunter gasped dramatically.

"How do we stop this from happening, my Lady?" Reepicheep asked stepping forward.

"You, my heroes will journey to the ends of the earth in order--"

"But I thought the earth was round..." Edmund whispered to Serena, who promptly shushed him in response.

"--to restore the light, as the prophecy declared," the oracle continued, unphased. "But be forwarned, your task shall not be simple, there will be many perilous obsticles strewn upon your path, similar to the creatures you faced just yesterday."

Serena blinked. "You know about that?"

The oracle grinned slightly. "I am the oracle, I know anything and everything."

Trumpkin shifted his weight before speaking. "You say there will be more creatures on the way?"

The oracle nodded. "When Narnia's scale tips to the side of darkness, some of its inhabitants begin to shift as well," she said gravely. "The monsters you faced will be the first of many Narnian creatures who have been consumed by evil."

There was a short silence as the information sunk in.

"How will we restore the light?" Caspian's voice shook slightly as he spoke.

The oracle smiled mysteriously. "Pick a star on the dark horizon and follow the light," she said cryptically. "There you will find the Guardians of the Gate."

Trumpkin huffed. "Pick a star? What in the name of Aslan does that mean?"

"Yeah," Edmund pointed out. "There are kind of a lot of stars in the sky."

"That is all you need to know. The fate of Narnia is in your hands," the oracle said as she began to close her eyes.

"Wait!" Serena cried. "What do you mean? How will we find the gate?"

The oracle fully closed her eyes, and no sooner then her eyelids rested on her face, the light in the cave went out.

The group stood silent for a minute or two, letting the oracle's words soak in. _The fate of Narnia is in our hands?_ Serena repeated slowly, eyes sill wide.

"What happened?" Lucy's voice spoke in the darkness.

"Lucy?" Edmund said. "Is that you?"

"Yes, of course," she responded, a hint of confusion in her voice. "But I feel like I just woke up from a deep sleep..."

Serena looked at Lucy. "But you just did wake up."

Lucy cocked her head to the side, finally noticing that everyone had formed a semi circle infront of her. "What do you mean?" She questioned. "Why are you all standing around me like this?"

The rest of the group glanced around at eachother, before Caspian turned back to Lucy. "We will discuss this further on the way back to the castle."

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"So, we're to embark on this quest to save Narnia?" Lucy confirmed as the group made their way back up to the palace.

"Long story short, yes," Edmund said with a nod.

"But where is Aslan? Shouldn't he be helping?" Lucy continued, looking at the ground. Suddenly she gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. "If Narnia's magic is disappearing, does that mean that Aslan will too?" She looked around at everyone frantically, trying to find an answer on someone's face.

Trufflehunter cleared his throat quietly. "I'm sure Aslan will be fine, Lucy. But if Narnia goes, Aslan might as well..." He said softly.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" She practically screamed, quickening her pace. "If it's up to us to save Narnia, then we have to go!"

"It may not be that easy Lucy," Trumpkin replied. "We've got to travel to the end of the earth, and last time I checked, that was a pretty difficult place to reach."

"But we've got to at least try!" Serena piped up, stopping in her tracks. "You heard the oracle, the fate of Narnia is in our hands. We're the only ones who can do anything to help. We can't just do nothing!" Her sea-green eyes were hard, her determination set.

Lucy smiled triumphantly and stood beside Serena. _For once, at least **someone** agrees with me_, she thought as she studied the group's reaction.

By then, Edmund, Caspian, Trumpkin, Trufflehunter and Reepicheep had stopped walking as well, and the now stood across from Lucy and Serena, almost as if an invisible line had divided them into teams. None of them seemed as shocked from Serena's outburst as Caspian, who's eyebrows were raised as high as they could go, his mouth hanging open.

Reepicheep drew his sword and strolled over the invisible line to Serena and Lucy. "I think you know where I stand," he said, looking up at the two girls. "I offer you my life, unreservadly." He held out his tiny sword before bowing to them.

Serena and Lucy giggled, before turning to the rest of the group, their gazes willing them to join in. Caspian looked at his three friends. It had to have been one of the most peculiar sights he had ever seen. Two young girls and a mouse, ready and willing to lay their lives on the line in order to save Narnia. Even Serena, who had arrived in Narnia less then 24 hours ago, was about to journey afar to save a country to which she didn't even belong.

Edmund was the first to cave.

"Well we can't just let them go alone," Edmund said shrugging his shoulders as he too walked over to them, earning himself a scoff from Caspian that oddly resembled the word 'pansy'. "They're girls!" He added defensively.

Serena raised an eyesbrow and scoffed, while Lucy giggled. "Thanks Ed," she said half sarcastically as he grinned and stood beside her.

Caspian cleared his throat. "If what the oracle said is true, and Serena will help decide the fate of Narnia," he said as he advanced to toward the four of them. "Then I will follow her decisions." He finished strongly as he stopped beside Serena. She smiled up at him gratefully, which he returned.

They all looked over at Trumpkin and Trufflehunter, who exchanged glances before Trumpkin sighed and walked over to them, Trufflehunter waddling behind him.

"Well if you lot are all going, I'm not about to be left behind," Trumpkin grumbled to the ground as he continued past them and toward the castle.

Lucy beamed and ran to catch up with Trumpkin, who was power walking back up the hill.

"I guess it's unanimous," Trufflehunter said as he joined the group.

"Then it's settled," Serena said with a smile as they started after Lucy and Trumpkin. _We're going to save Narnia_, she thought. _We **have** to!_

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

The seven of them walked through the large double doors of the castle and into the main foyer.

Caspian stopped infront of the group and turned to face them, beginning their mission debriefing. "Trufflehunter, Reepicheep and Trumpkin, go gather crew members and equipment for the journey," he said, his kingly authority showing naturally in his voice.

"Right away, your majesty," Trufflehunter said before waddling off, Reepicheep and Trumpkin at his heels.

"You three," Caspian continued, addressing Edmund, Lucy and Serena. "Come with me." With that he turned on his heel and began walking through the large foyer.

Lucy, Serena and Edmund looked at eachother before shrugging and following after Caspian.

The four of them walked through the foyer and down a narrow hallway. Serena, being the only one that hadn't been there before, glanced around at her surroundings. Rich tapestries hung on the walls and a suit of armour stood beside one of the doorways.

"Where are we going?" Serena whispered to Lucy.

"I don't know," she responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

Caspian led them to the end of the hallway, stopping infront of an elegant set of double doors. He placed both his hands on the gold door knobs and pushed forward. They doors swung open easily revealing a bright room comtaining statues of various Narnias, including a stone carving of the great lion himself. Infront of Aslan sat a large silver chest.

While Edmund, Serena and Lucy stood gaping at the majestic room, Caspian strolled over to the chest and opened the lid with a low _creak_. From the depths of the casket, he produced a red belt with gold buckles. On it hung a dagger with a golden head of a lion on the hilt, as well as a small bottle of red liquid.

Lucy gasped and smiled as Caspian handed the belt to her.

"I can't belive you still have it!" She squealed gleefully, as if reunited with an old friend, as she strapped the belt around her waist.

Caspian smiled, making his way back to the chest. "It has been here since you left, awaiting your return," he said, returning to the group, this time with a sword and a silver sheild with a red lion painted on it in his hands. He passed the weapons to Edmund who nodded his thanks and fastened the silver sheild to his back, the sword to the belt around his waist.

Caspian walked silently back over to the chest and pulled out a bow and a quiver full of arrows. He strolled slowly back to them and stopped infront of Serena. She looked up at him, puzzled.

"This," he said softly. "Is Queen Susan's bow," he held it out to her as she continued to stare up at him. "I think that you should hold onto it." He placed the bow gently in her hands, studying her reaction.

Serena looked down at the weapon in her hands. She ran her fingers through the soft red feathers at the end of the arrows, which were secured by gold thread. The wooden bow fit perfectly in the palm of her hand, as if it were made for her. The ends were made of the same pearly white material as the quiver and were attached by a long, gold and brown string. She examined the quiver, which appeared to be made of ivory although it weighed next to nothing in her hands. Her fingers caressed the carvings in the quiver, lingering on the letters SP which were engraved on the side. Serena's sea-green eyes widened as she traced the silver letters. _These are my initials, Serena Pendragon,_ she thought before something else dawned on her. _And Susan Pevensie._

Edmund cleared his throat loudly, causing Serena to jump about a foot and a half in the air. She snapped her head up and looked around, noticing that everyone was staring at her. Serena flushed slightly as she looked back at Caspian, who still stood infront of her, a curious and slightly amused expression on his face.

"Thanks," she mumbled with a small smile before placing the bow into its sling and hoisting the quiver onto her back.

"Are we ready yet?" Edmund asked impatiently.

"Almost," Caspian replied, walking to the chest once more. He withdrew a long silver and gold sword, which resembled Lucy's dagger with the lion's head on the hilt, as well as an ivory horn.

"You still have Peter's sword," Lucy observed, her hand fiddling with the cordial on her belt. "And Susan's horn."

Caspian grinned. "Of course," he said as he secured the horn and the sword to his leather belt.

He close the chest with another soft _creak_ before turning back to his friends.

Less than one day back in Narnia had converted Edmund. He stood taller, the warrior in him now showing clearly. Overnight, he had transformed from Edmund Pevensie, to King Edmund the Just.

Lucy no longer looked like the timid little girl that had arrived in Narnia the day before. Her gaze had become more intense, her courageous side resurfacing, and she now resembled the Valiant queen who had stood at Aslan's side before an army of Telmarnies a year prior.

Lastly, Serena looked like Susan physically especially with Susan's bow in hand, but other then that, Caspian could see no further resemblance. She stood tall, her head held high, the blazing look in her eyes telling him that she was ready for whatever this strange new world threw at her. Susan had always had a disdainful look about her, as well as a close-minded outlook on life, which clouded over her beautiful features. Whereas Serena seemed optimistic and free-spirited, which made her whole body glow with radiance.

Caspian's brown eyes hardened, his expression becoming serious.

"Now we are ready," he said solemnly.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

The bright sun was high in the sky by the time they were ready to leave. Reepicheep, Trufflehunter and Trumpkin ran about the ship, shouting orders and preparations for the journey to the crew, while Edmund, Lucy, Serena and Caspian stood at the docks, the crystal blue water sparkling in the sunlight as Dr. Cornelius said goodbye to the group.

"Thank you so much for everything," Lucy gushed, a big smile plastered on her face.

"Yes," Serena agreed, gripping the strap of her quiver tightly. "It was nice meeting you." She awkwardly extended her hand to the old man.

"Likewise, my Lady," Dr. Cornelius replied taking Serena's hand in both of his. His expression grew serious. "Be careful. All of you," he said looking around at Caspian, Edmund and Lucy.

Serena smiled slightly. "We will, don't worry," she said reassuringly, trying to ignore the visious butterflies in her stomach.

Dr. Cornelius nodded. "Good luck," he released Serena's hand.

"Thanks," Lucy and Serena said smiling, before turning around and boarding the large ship.

"I must speak with you two before you leave," the professor said, addressig Edmund and Caspian.

"Alright," Edmund replied curtly while Caspian furrowed his dark eyebrows.

"What is it, professor?" he asked, looking at the old man curiously.

Dr. Cornelius lowered his voice slightly. "You are aware of who will save Narnia, as said in the prophecy?"

Edmund tilted his head to the side and creased his brow. "You know about the prophecy?"

Dr. Cornelius shook his head rapidly. "That's not important right now, do you or do you not know who will save Narnia?"

"Yes," Edmund replied. "The oracle said that Serena is the 'believer', and that she and a pure heart will decide the fate of Narnia."

The professor's expression grew graver with each passing second. "Yes, Serena is the believer..." he trailed off, staring at the ground.

"And?" Caspian urged after a few seconds of silence.

Dr. Cornelius looked up, an unreadably expression in his pale blue eyes. "And Queen Lucy is the pure hearted being."

Edmund's jaw dropped, while Caspian just gaped.

"_Lucy?_" Edmund yelled in disbelief before Caspian cut in.

"You mean Serena and Lucy will determine the fate of Narnia?"

"Correct." Dr. Cornelius stood a little straighter and looked Edmund and Caspian in the eyes. "Protect them with you lives," he said solemly. "They are the only ones who can save Narnia, if anything happens to them, Narnia will fall."

The two young kings looked at eachother before gazing off at the ship, where Lucy and Serena stood making faces at one another and laughing like little kids. Those two girls held Narnia's future in the palm of their hands.

Caspian and Edmund shifted their gazes back to the professor before nodding seriously.

"You know I will," Edmund declared, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Dr, Cornelius nodded to Edmund before looking t Caspian. "Defend them with your life, my King," he looked right into Caspian's dark eyes. "Protect her," he whispered loud enough for Caspian's ears only.

_Protect her....?_ Caspian's eyes widened slightly at that remark. "I will professor," he said nonetheless.

The old man's expression softened as he relaxed a bit. "Then you best be on your way," he said ushering the two boys over to the ship. "Best of luck to you both." With that, Dr. Cornelius turned around and walked quickly back to the castle.

"But professor...." Caspian started before trailing off, realizing that Dr. Cornelius was long gone. _How does he know so much?_ he thought as he stared after the professor, bewilderment on his face.

"My lord?" Trumpkin said from behind Edmund and Caspian. "We're ready to leave."

"It's about time," Edmund smirked before joining Lucy and Serena on the deck of the ship.

Caspian took a deep breath before he and Trumpkin followed Edmund onto the large ship.

As the ship set sail, Serena and Lucy stood at the front, the salty sea wind blowing through their hair as they gazed off into the clear blue water. Neither of them aware of the adventures that lay ahead of them.

Caspian watched the two girls as they stood peering off into the bright horizon, before being joined by Edmund and Reepicheep.

"Edmund told us what Dr. Cornelius said," Trumpkin said calmly from beside Caspian.

Trufflehunter shuffled over to Caspian's other side. "Do you really think that those two girls will be able to lead Narnia from the darkness?" He asked hopefully.

Caspian looked back over at Serena and Lucy, both with determined expressions on their faces as they gazed off into space. He could scarcely imagine what thoughts might be running though their heads at that very moment.

Caspian smiled as he continued to gaze at the two girls. "I have no doubt about it."

It was at that moment that their adventure began.

It was at that moment that the seven unlikely friends were united, led by two young girls who's intertwined destinies would determine Narnia's very existence.

It at that moment, that the illustious ship know as the _Dawn Treader_ began its voyage to the ends of the earth.


	6. A Star On The Dark Horizon

**A Star On The Dark Horizon**

The Dawn Treader sailed gracefully through the crystal blue ocean water as the group continued to puzzle over the oracle's words.

Serena squinted her sea-green eyes in concentration as she tried to piece together what the oracle had said. Pick a star on the dark horizon.... she repeated the oracle's riddle in her head. ...And follow the light... Well, the first part's kind of obvious. She looked up at the sky, which was a beautiful mixture of blue and pink as the sun began to set. But it's not even dark yet.... pick a star and follow the light.... which star do we pick?

Edmund was pacing a couple of feet away from Serena, raking his brain for anything that might help them. Alright, he thought. We've got to pick a star and follow it, that much we've got... but which one?

Lucy looked up from the small bottle on her belt that she had been fiddling with and studied Edmund and Serena. Their expressions of complete determination getting more intense every second. Edmund's face was all contorted and he looked just about ready to explode.

"Don't hurt yourself Ed," she said, giggling as Edmund and Serena snapped out of their thoughts with a jump.

Edmund scowled and crossed his arms. "What makes you think I'm hurting myself?" he grumbled, scratching the back of his brown-haired head.

"Well," Lucy said smirking. "You're face looks very close to a tomato, and you look like you're were about the explode!"

Serena scoffed involentarily at Lucy's comment, but slyly turned it into a cough as Edmund turned to glare at her.

"Anyway, did you come up with anything Edmund?" Serena asked, hastily changing the subject.

Edmund uncrossed his arms, confusion spreading across his face. "Not really. It's so confusing... what could she have meant?" he asked slowly.

Lucy frowned slightly. "I don't know," she said quietly.

Caspian, who stood across from them spoke up. "How are we supposed to figure this out?" He wondered along with everyone else. "Why couldn't she have told us more?"

There was a few seconds of silence before Lucy spoke. "Maybe we need to figure this out for ourselves," she concluded.

The four of them were silent for a moment before Caspian cleared his throat. "If we need to follow a star, the only thing we can do for now is wait until nightfall."

Serena sighed, glancing up at the sky. She bit her bottom lip lightly as she slipped into her own world. That still doesn't answer the rest of the prophecy... how am I supposed to save Narnia? I just got here! What if I can't do it? What if everyone dies because of me? She thought of all of her kind new friends. Trumpkin... Reepicheep... Trufflehunter... Edmund... Lucy.... Caspian... if I can't save Narnia, then I can't save them...

Serena felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Lucy looking up at her with sympathetic eyes. "You're worried aren't you," she said softly, more of a statement than a question.

Serena shifted her gaze to the floor and fiddled with her lilac dress. "What if I can't do it?" she asked, concern dripping from her voice. "What if I can't save everyone?"

She paused for a moment and looked out at the sparkling ocean water. "I just... don't think I'm the right person for this kind of task..."

Lucy looked at Serena, the splitting image of her older sister, yet she couldn't be more different. Here she was, worried sick about a country she didn't belong to, a country she had arrived in less than 24 hours ago.

On the Pevensie's first visit to Narnia, when they found out that the four siblings were to defeat the White Witch, Susan had been resentful. She felt that they should go back home, that Narnia's problems weren't any of their concern, and that there had been some kind of mistake in the prophecy.

Serena however, knew that she had to help, but was worried that she wouldn't be able to. Lucy continued to gaze at Serena, who was looking out at the horizon, her raven hair blowing in the salty ocean wind.

"Don't worry," Lucy finally said. "We're all here to help you."

Serena gave Lucy a small smile before continuing to stare at the horizon. "I know that I have to do something, but I don't think I'm ready for this kind of responsibility."

Lucy chuckled softly. "That's exactly what Caspian said to Aslan when he was to become king."

"Really?" Serena mumbled absent-mindedly.

Lucy nodded before continuing. "And Aslan responded, 'It is for that very reason, I know that you are.'" Lucy turned to Serena. "If Aslan were here, I know that he would say the same thing to you."

She smiled brightly at Serena as she once again lay a hand on her shoulder. "You heard what the oracle said, you're the believer. In order for you to save Narnia you've got to have faith, but you first need to have faith in yourself."

Serena smiled warmly at Lucy, allowing her words to sink in, words of wisdom far beyond a little girl.

"Thank you, Lucy," Serena whispered, grinning.

Lucy giggled and wrapped her arms around Serena's slim waist. "Just remember, you're not alone... we're here with you."

Beaming, Serena wrapped her arms around Lucy's small frame, feeling for the first time in her life what it was like to have a little sister.

Caspian and Edmund stood across the ship from where Lucy and Serena were, discreetly listening in on their conversation.

Edmund felt a smile playing on his lips as he watched Serena and Lucy.

"When should we tell them?" Caspian asked, ripping Edmund from his slight trance. "About what the professor said?"

"When the time is right, I guess." Edmund smirked and looked back a Serena and Lucy. For now, let's just leave them as they are.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

The sun began to set, lighting the sky with a million brilliant colours before disappearing from view as the sky turned navy blue.

Serena, Reepicheep and Trufflehunter stood gazing at the starlit sky while Lucy, Edmund, Caspian and Trumpkin discussed the oracle's words further.

"Which star do you suppose we're to choose?" Serena asked, staring at the thousand bright dots illuminating the night sky.

"I haven't the slightest clue my Lady," Reepicheep replied glumly.

Trufflehunter craned his neck to get a better look at the stars. "Perhaps we should pick that one," he pointed to an exceptionally bright star above them. "That one is pretty."

Lucy and Trumpkin made their way over to them. "What are you doing?" She asked curiously, following their gazes to the sky.

Serena shrugged. "Trying to find which star we should follow."

"Great idea!" Lucy cried before standing beside Serena and staring up at the dark atmosphere as well. "Come on Caspian. You too Edmund!"

Edmund shrugged and strolled over to Lucy. "Why not?" he said as he looked up as well.

Serena glanced at Caspian, who still stood across the ship, arms crossed. "Caspian?" He looked at her expectantly. "Are you coming?" She asked with a welcoming smile. He grinned back and stood beside her.

Soon, all of them were staring at the incandecsent sky, except for Trumpkin, who stood staring at the six of them as if they were lunatics.

"Come on Trumpkin, help us!" Lucy said, waving to the dwarf.

Trumpkin grunted something incoherent before standing beside Reepicheep and gazing at the stars. "They all look the same to me," he grumbled. "Let's just pick one and be done with it."

"It may not be that easy," Caspian muttered.

"That's right," Serena added. "If we choose the wrong star, we'll probably end up traveling all the way to the other side of the world."

There were a couple of minutes of silence as this new information sunk in.

"Well, on the bright side," Edmund said cheerfully. "If we do pick the wrong star, we can just keep going until... we reach the... other end of the earth..." he trailed off and paused for a second before frowning. "I still don't quite get this concept.... so the world is, infact, flat?"

"Of course the world is flat," Trumpkin teased. "I should think the mighty King Edmund would know that."

Edmund scowled as the group began laughing at him.

"We can follow the sun!" Trufflehunter suggested. "The sun's a star."

"Yes," Reepicheep spoke up. "Brilliant! That way, when the sun rises in the east we can follow it east; then when it sets in the west we can turn around and go the other way!" He finished with an are-you-kidding-me? expression, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Anyways," Edmund changed the subject, fighting to keep the smirk off his face. "If we've got to follow this star to the end of the earth, how are we supposed to follow it during the day? Last time I checked, stars only come out at night."

"Oh...." Trufflehunter groaned, hanging his furry head.

Serena frowned, crossing her arms. Well, that's something I never thought of... she bit her lower lip as Edmund's realization set in her mind. How are we supposed to follow a star during the day?

Her eyes widened as the answer dawned on her. Serena gasped before letting out an excited squeal.

"The North Star!" Reepicheep shouted as if reading Serena's mind, throwing a hand-- or paw in the air.

"Yes!" cried Serena as she smiled down at the mouse.

Edmund furrowed his eyebrows. "The North Star?"

Caspian rested a hand on his chin in thought. "I see..." he mumbled, pursing his lips and raising his eyebrows. "If we follow the North Star at night--"

"--then all we have to do during the day is travel North!" Lucy finished with a triumphant grin.

"It's brilliant!" Trufflehunter yelled, clapping his furry paws together.

Edmund was silent for a moment. "Oh, I get it!" he shouted as his face lit up with realization. "Why didn't we think of that earlier?"

Lucy pursed her lips and crossed her arms"I don't know..." she muttered.

Trumpkin chuckled. "It seemed pretty obvious to me."

Edmund turned to the dwarf. "If it was so obvious why didn't you suggest it earlier?" he interrogated.

Just as Trumpkin opened his mouth to counter Edmund's remark, Serena cut in. "Okay, stop!" She shouted, addressing Edmund and Trumpkin. "Now help us find the North Star."

The seven of them scanned the dark sky until they found a bright star pointing due north, according to Caspian's compass.

There it is, Serena thought incredulously. The North Star... the star you follow when you don't know where to go. Just like mum used to tell me-- Serena's sea-green eyes widened and she inhaled sharply. Mum... She felt tears begin to prickle behind her eyes as she uttered that one simple word in her head.

"Serena?" Trufflehunter's voice said. Serena turned to look at the badger, noticing that everyone was staring at her. "Are you alright dear?"

Serena blinked heavily before looking up and putting on a brave smile. "I'm fine," she said, feining cheerfulness. "Just something in my eye. Anyway, now we just have to set a course following the North Star." She changed the subject quickly, ignoring everyone's confused expressions.

Reepicheep cleared his throat. "I shall alert the crew of our new course imediately. Come along Trumpkin, Trufflehunter." With that, the three Narnians strolled over the where a large brown bear was manning the wheel of the ship.

Serena pulled some of her black hair over her shoulder and gazed back out at sea, hoping that no one noticed her tears.

Little did she know, that someone did.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Soon after setting a course for the North Star, everyone dispersed. Some went off to bed, others helped around the ship, while Serena sat alone, lost in her own world.

Seeking a place where she could think, Serena had climbed discreetly up the rope ladder and up onto the tall lookout post about 30 feet above the deck. After 10 minutes of rope burns and extreme upper body strength (or lack there of), she finally positioned herself comfortably in the small crow's nest. How long she sat up there, she didn't know.

I can't believe it, she thought, rubbing her sore hands, guilt washing over her. I haven't even thought about Mum since I got here... She once again felt tears threatening to spill from her eyes, but this time she let them flow freely. It's like I've completely forgotten her already... The crisp night air blew her raven hair about her face as she stared at the dark, moonlit sky.

"So this is where you have been hiding," a deep voice sounded from behind Serena.

She jumped slightly, attempting to hide her fallen tears. "I'm s-sorry," she said flustered, trying desperately to keep her voice from breaking. "I-I didn't know I was up here for so long."

Caspian climbed into the crow's nest and sat beside her, a concerned look in his deep brown irises.

"What is on your mind?" he asked softly.

Serena slowly shook her head. "I-it's nothing, I'm fine." Her voice cracked, much to her dismay.

Caspian gently placed a calloused hand under her chin and turned her face towards him, forcing Serena to look him in the eyes. He could see that her face was still slightly red from crying, her turquoise eyes held a pained, helpless expression in them.

Cheerful Serena, who always had a smile on her face, was unhappy. This sorrowful emotion seemed to cloud over her entire body. Caspian gazed at the downcast girl infront of him, her face so familiar yet so unknown, and felt a strange sensation run through his body at the sight of her dismal face. Even so, she was still beautiful as ever in his eyes.

Serena looked up at Caspian, fighting to keep her rising emotions at bay. She hated when people saw her in a vulnerable state. So she kept her sad emotions to herself, almost never crying in public, and feeling terrible whenever she made someone worry about her.

On one hand, she wanted nothing more than for Caspian to just leave and let her wallow in her mournful state alone--on the other hand, she felt a strong impulse telling her to fling herself into his arms and cry her heart out.

Caspian spoke once again, almost in a whisper as he withdrew his hand. "I know that you are upset about something... I could see it in your eyes earlier."

Serena pale face flushed as she averted her gaze. Great, someone did see...

Caspian continued, "You don't have to tell me if you really do not want to... I just... hate to see you upset." He ran a hand through his dark hair, blushing slightly in the darkness.

Serena felt a small smile playing on her lips as she turned back to Caspian. "Thanks," she whispered audibly. "I just don't want to talk about it right now..." She turned to gaze out at the dark ocean water, a blank expression on her face.

The wind billowed through the Dawn Treader's large white sails as Caspian continued to stare at Serena. "It is getting late--we should both be getting some sleep."

Serena nodded once, blinking out of her trance. Caspian stood up, offering a helping hand to Serena. She stared his extended hand for a few seconds before grasping it, allowing Caspian to pull her to her feet.

He began descending down the steep rope ladder with ease, Serena climbing/sliding down above him.

Caspian skipped the last couple of steps on the ladder and hopped down on the deck with a low thud before turning to help Serena down. No sooner than he looked up, Serena let out a small shriek as her foot slipped from the rung and she slid down the rope ladder and into his strong arms.

As is completely unfazed, Caspian looked down at the girl in his arms. "Are you alright?" He asked.

_Whoa.... _eyes wide, Serena took a couple of deep breaths, still trying to grasp what had just happened. "Yes, I'm fine," she nodded, looking up at him sheepishly. "I guess I'm not the best climber in the world..."

"I guess not," Caspian replied with a low chuckle.

Heart skipping a beat, Serena continued to look up at him, seemingly hypnotized by his brown eyes as she felt herself getting lost in their depths. Caspian, still holding her as if she weighed nothing, gazed back into the eyes that weren't the pale, cold blue that he was used to, but a green as vivid as the sea. And for a reason unknown to him, he couldn't bring himself to look away.

With a blink Serena awoke from her stupor and averted her gaze, and that spell that had passed between them broke.

Caspian shook his head slightly, as if he had awakened from a dream, cleared his throat, and placed her lightly back on her feet dropping his arm slowly from where it had been around her waist.

"Thanks," Serena said quietly to her shoes.

He grinned as they walked slowly over to the cabin door. "You are welcome. I'm glad to see you are feeling better."

Serena smiled slightly, nodding. "Yes, don't worry. I'll be fine," she stopped infront of the cabin door and turned to face Caspian, looking up at him expectantly.

"Well," he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Good night."

"Good night, your maj-- I mean Caspian," Serena responded smirking as she walked through the doors and into Caspian's large cabin.

She could barely make out Lucy's sleeping silhouette on the bed in the corner as she snuck quietly into the room.

Serena lay down beside her, allowing her thoughts to drift from what had just passed between her and Caspian and once again back to her mother. I wonder where she is right now... maybe she actually is watching over me... just like she... said.. she had fallen asleep before even finishing her thought.

Caspian stood on the deck, wondering what was troubling Serena. She looked so alone, so helpless. It was an expression that was almost too familiar to Caspian.

I am sure she will tell me when she is ready... he thought as the Dawn Treader sailed on through the starry night.


	7. On The Trail We Blaze

**On The Trail We Blaze**

The Dawn Treader was well on its northern course by the time Serena woke up the next morning. The sun was streaming through the wide window casting a ray of bright sunlight on her pale face.

She sat up slowly, yawning widely as she finally stood up and stretched. As she extended her arms and arched her back, she heard a loud crack as her joints adjusted to the new found movement, a sound that she hated with every fiber of her being.

Serena winced as the sound reached her ears and dusted off her lilac dress and tip toeing to the door, opening it quietly before slipping through it. She slowly made her way to the deck and felt the familiar gust of salty ocean air hit her face as well as the bright sunlight. _I feel so... energized today!_ She thought giddily, smiling to herself and strolled over the the front of the ship, all but forgetting the previous nights events.

As she walked she noticed the frame of a tall person leaning against the railing of the ship, looking out over the water.

"Good morning!" She shouted with a wave. Her hand flew to her mouth as she widened her eyes and smirked, realizing how loud she had spoken. _Oops..._

Caspian all but jumped out of his skin as he turned to look at Serena's grinning face. "Oh..." he said breathlessly, his hand resting over his heart.

"Sorry," Serena giggled sheepishly, skipping over to his side.

He smiled as his heartbeat slowed, raising his eyebrows at Serena's hyper-active mood. _At least she is feeling better,_ he thought and his smile grew. "Good morning to you. You are up early today."

"Am I?" Serena asked, running a hand through her hair absentmindedly. "I don't know... I just feel so upbeat today!"

Caspian smiled down at Serena, her face glowing with enthusiasm. "This is officially your first day out at sea. Are you sure you can handle it?" He teased.

Serena looked up at him with mock horror on her face as she placed her hands on her hips. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Caspian shrugged innocently and looked away from her. "Well, you know what they say: a ship is no place for a woman." He glanced at her subtly, eying her reaction.

Her mouth hung open, her face painted with fake shock. "Oh, but what would you poor little boys do without me and Lucy around?" She asked reaching out to ruffle his long hair playfully.

Serena laughed as he scowled, looking pretty close to a dog with his hair all in his face.

Caspian shook his head lazily, his hair falling back into place perfectly before he smiled in suit. "Yes," he said, his deep voice changing in tone. "What _would_ I have done if you were not there with Trumpkin and me that day?"

Serena's face flushed with surprise as she scratched her head nervously. _I wouldn't have been there to fall in that hole, that's for sure._ "I... well... you know... it was nothing," she mumbled shifting her gaze to her shoes.

Caspian shook his head once again, his voice growing serious. "It was not nothing, and I did not get a chance to say this before..." Serena looked up at Caspian once again, noticing that his face was painted with sincerity. "You saved my life, thank you."

He reached out and gently grasped Serena's hand in his own calloused one.

Caspian felt a small jolt run from her hand and through his body, which he tried his best to ignore as he gazed at her familiarly beautiful face.

Serena looked down at their intertwined fingers and glanced at his smiling face before blushing and averting her gaze.

"I...i-it was nothing. Really," she stuttered nervously, Caspian still keeping his hold on her small hand. "I'm just glad I could help." She looked back at him, giving him a shy smile.

Serena continued to look at Caspian, a curious expression formed on her face as she subtly took in his features, thoughts flooding into her head. She noticed for the first how deep his chocolate brown eyes were, or how strong and defined his jaw muscles were. His dark hair fell lightly into his eyes and she could feel the tendons residing beneath the olive toned skin of his calloused hand.

As she held Caspian's hand in her own, Serena felt her heartbeat quicken and her breath caught in her throat._ What's going on? _She thought in confusion, her eyes widening as she felt the blush rising in her cheeks.

A soft giggle sounded behind them, ripping Serena and Caspian from their stupor with a small jump.

They turned towards the noise and caught sight of Edmund and Lucy staring at them.

Edmund stood with his arms crossed, his weight shifted to one leg, smirking at them meaningfully; while Lucy stood at his side, smiling brightly and trying unsuccessfully to stifle her giggles with her hands.

Caspian and Serena looked back at each other before he released her hand quickly, his own flying to his hair as he turned away, scratching his head awkwardly.

Serena began twiddling her thumbs as she observed her brown leather shoes, her and Caspian's faces flushed with embarrasment.

"Oh, don't let us interrupt anything," said Edmund, chuckling as he waved a hand at them. "Just pretend we're not here."

Caspian cleared his throat and looked around. "What was that Trumpkin?" He called to the dwarf who stood across the ship at the wheel, giving Caspian a questioning look when he heard his name. "I will be right over." With that, he practically sprinted past Edmund and Lucy over to where Trumpkin stood, looking at the king as if he had lost his marbles.

Serena's rapid heartbeat slowed as she risked a glance at Edmund and Lucy. Edmund was still smirking and Lucy was bouncing up and down, her smile so big that it looked as if her face would crack.

Edmund strolled over to her, his arms still crossed and his smug expression remaining unchanged. "Soo...?" he said, allowing his question to linger.

Serena looked from Edmund to Lucy, trying her best to look clueless. "So what?" She asked, twiddling her thumbs furiously.

Lucy skipped in a circle around her before stopping beside Edmund, grinning from ear to ear. "So? You and Caspian?"

Edmund continued to smirk as Serena's face turned a bright shade of crimson. _Maybe I should have run when I had the chance,_ she thought, shooting an envious glare at Caspian as he conversed with Trumpkin.

She cleared her throat, slightly flustered. "Th-there is no m-me and Caspian," she stammered, causing Lucy to squeal with glee.

"I knew it!" She cried, clapping her small hands together as the wind blew a few strands of her brown hair from behind her ear.

"_What?_" Serena cried, her green eyes widening. "B-but—"

Edmund wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You know what we meeaaan," he said, drawing out the word last word mischievously.

Just when Serena thought her face was about to explode, Reepicheep—being the little savior he is— came darting over to them. "King Edmund, Queen Lucy and Lady Serena," he said addressing each of them. "The king wishes to speak with you."

Edmund shrugged, his grin fading slightly from his face. "Alright." With that he turned on his heel sauntered off in the direction of where Caspian stood, Lucy right behind him.

Serena sighed in relief, giving the mouse a grateful smile. "Thanks you so much."

Reepicheep smiled before bowing gracefully, his nose practically sweeping the floor. "No problem at all, my lady," he said, although even he couldn't deny his curiosity.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

After a long discussion regarding the day's events—which included sailing, sailing and yet more sailing—it was decided (by Edmund) that the day be spent training.

The seven of them had retrieved their weapons and now stood in a circle, the hot sun beating down on them.

Serena wrinkled her nose. "_Training?_"

"Yes!" Edmund said, resting a hand on his 'trusty sword'. "I'm not used to being back in Narnia—I need time to get back into shape!"

Trumpkin scoffed, "I don't think we'll reach the end of the earth before that happens," the dwarf teased, earning him laughs from the rest of the group and a death glare from Edmund.

"Alright," Edmund drew his sword, standing tall as he put on a pompous impression. "Since you _dare_ mock the great King Edmund the Just, you shall be my first victim!"

Edmund grinned as the dwarf drew his small sword—which was barely longer than Serena's arm—obviously accepting Edmund's challenge. "Oh you won't be so lucky this time, your _highness_," Trumpkin growled as he held his sword in both hands—ready to duel.

Serena gripped the leather strap of her quiver tightly. "Are you just going to let them fight?" She asked Lucy quietly.

Edmund advanced towards the dwarf, Trumpkin doing the same.

"They'll be fine," Lucy shrugged calmly as Serena continued to watch, worry washing over her.

Suddenly, Trumpkin lunged at Edmund with a shout, swinging his short sword —which Edmund blocked with ease. Several clangs of metal hitting metal sounded as Trumpkin and Edmund swung expertly at one another.

Serena bit her nails in anticipation as the two continued to spar, her knuckles whitening from her tight grip an her quiver.

Trumpkin aimed a blow at Edmund's calves—which Edmund jumped over smoothly before aiming a blow of his own, which Trumpkin blocked once again.

Something seemed to snap within Edmund, and he began slashing about wildly—or so it looked to Serena. He swung savagely at Trumpkin, the dwarf grunting as he struggled to block each of Edmund's strong hits until his silver sword went flying out of his hands.

Trumpkin dropped to his knees as Edmund held his sword above his head, pointing it at the dwarf's throat—both breathing heavily.

"Oh well done Ed!" Lucy cried, running over to him as he sheathed his sword, a victorious grin playing on his lips.

Edmund smirked at Trumpkin who was still on his knees scowling. "Piece of cake."

He offered his hand to the dwarf, who accepted it reluctantly and pulled himself up.

Reepicheep had watched the battle excitedly, turning to Trufflehunter as soon as it was over. "Alright Trufflehunter," the mouse said, whipping out his tiny sword. "We can't let them have all the fun! HAAH!" Reepicheep let out a war cry as he charged at the shocked badger.

Trufflehunter's beady eyes widened before he turned around and ran as fast as his stubby legs would carry him—screaming bloody murder.

"Stop right there badger! I'm not done with you yet!" Reepicheep hollered as he sprinted after the retreating badger, his long tail trailing behind him.

Caspian laughed and turned to his four giggling friends. "Alright," everyone shifted their gazes to him. "Lets see if your archery is really 'nothing'."

What? Serena thought as her eyes widened, knowing that he was addressing her.

Caspian pointed upwards, Lucy, Edmund, Serena and Trumpkin following his gaze up the tall mast to a tiny, barely visible hole near the top.

Edmund pushed his bangs off of his forehead, wiping off any traces of sweat from his fight. "A circle?"

Caspian smiled. "Yes. I want you—" he nodded to Serena. "—to shoot the circle with one of your arrows."

Serena laughed as she looked back up at the minuscule ring, before shifting her gaze back to Caspian, who looked perfectly serious.

Her giggling stopped abruptly as her eyes widened to their limits. "Y-you want me to sh-shoot _that_?" She asked incredulously, gesturing at the circle 30 feet about their heads.

Caspian shrugged. "Yes," was his simple reply.

Lucy and Edmund curiously looked up the mast until their eyes reached the small circle. "Wow," Edmund said thoughtfully. "That's _way_ up there...."

"B-but, I can't hit that!" Serena practically shouted, looking rapidly from Caspian to the circle. "There's no way!"

"Yes you can," Caspian said calmly, eying her curiously. "I have seen you in action—this will be no problem."

Serena bit her lower lip, habitual for when she was nervous. _Why does he have such high hopes for me?_ She thought, glancing at Caspian's calm, smiling face. _That was just a lucky shot!_ She frowned, thinking back to that day in the forest. _Well... three lucky shots—but still!_

Serena sighed reluctantly. "Umm... okay,"she mumbled as she slowly removed her bow from its sling. She smoothly drew one long brown arrow from the quiver and fitted the end to the bow string.

She risked a glance at Lucy, Edmund, Caspian and Trumpkin only to find that they were all looking at her expectantly._ Alright,_ she turned away quickly to avoid everyone's piercing stares. _Here goes...._

Serena mimicked her moves from her last encounter with a bow and arrow, her legs shoulder width apart, her fingers grasping the soft end of the arrow firmly.

Caspian watched her extend her left arm as she drew the arrow back, aiming it high in the air. Her light purple dress billowed slightly around her long legs in the salty wind, her raven hair falling lightly into her narrowed green eyes.

Trumpkin crossed his arms and watched eagerly, wanting to see if what Caspian said about her archery skills was true.

Lucy and Edmund gazed curiously at Serena, the same thought running through their heads. _She _does_ look like Susan.... but does she really know how to use a bow?_

A familiar sensation flooded through Serena's body as she pointed her index finger slightly, setting a better aim on the tiny circle. After a second she released the arrow.

It soared through the air soundlessly before hitting the dead centre of the circle with a thump.

Lucy's eyes widened as she gasped quietly, Trumpkin's eyebrows raised _way _up and Edmund's jaw plummeted as he stared at the arrow protruding from the ring, then back at Serena who looked just as surprised as they did—if not more. "Whoa."

"Yeah, whoa..." Serena agreed, her eyes wide as she lowered her bow, staring at the arrow she had just shot. _I actually hit it? _She exclaimed in her head.

Caspian nodded once, a smiling forming on his lips. "I told you you could do it," he walked over to Serena, placing a hand on her shoulder, which she was too shocked to notice.

Trumpkin was nodding approvingly, his eyebrows raised. "Nicely done," he muttered. _So it really was her that saved us..._

Lucy cocked her head to the side, creasing her brow as she walked to Serena's side. "But how do you know how to shoot so well?" She asked curiously.

Serena shrugged. "I honestly don't know..." she mumbled, suddenly very interested in the sleeves of her dress. "I hadn't even seen a real bow until I got here... but I just picked up Trumpkin's and it was all sort of... there."

"Hmm...." Edmund murmured thoughtfully.

Everyone turned to him, questioning looks forming on their faces. "What do you mean 'hmm'?" Serena asked.

Edmund rested a hand on his chin and seemed to be concentrating really hard. "I have a thought here..."

He paused for about 2 minutes, the group watching him patiently before Trumpkin spoke up. "Would you care to tell us?" he urged, a little annoyance in his husky voice.

Clearing his throat, Edmund began strolling in a circle around Caspian, Serena and Lucy. "The oracle said that Serena and Susan are two of the same spirit, right?"

Caspian pursed his lips. "Yes," he answered, glancing at a frowning Serena.

Edmund continued pacing, stroking his chin in thought.

"And...?" Lucy questioned, turning her head to look at Edmund as he walked behind her.

"Then if one half of the spirit learns a skill," Edmund concluded slowly. "Shouldn't it be transferred to the other half as well?"

Trumpkin grunted. "When did you get so smart?"

Caspian ignored him and answered Edmund's theory. "That makes sense... it would explain a lot as well."

"So let me get this strait," Serena cut in. "Susan was Narnia's master archer, right?"

Lucy nodded. "That's right."

"So, she spent all those years perfecting her skills, then they were just magically transferred to me?"

Edmund smirked and nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Serena ran a hand through her dark hair and turned to Lucy. "I thought you said I would get used to all of this!" she whispered, a disbelieving look on her face.

Giggling, Lucy said, "You will. In due time."

Trumpkin turned to Edmund. "I'm impressed," he confessed. _And that's a lot coming from me..._ "How did you come up with all of that?"

Edmund's smug expression grew. "Well it all seemed to fit together," he said as if it was perfectly obvious. "Besides, almost everything about Serena is the same as Susan so I thought—"

Edmund stopped mid sentence and stared over Serena's shoulder, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Who put that there?"

Caspian frowned and followed his gaze to an enormous trench off in the distance, seemingly stretching from one side of the ocean to the other—running as far as they could see.

Serena squinted. "What is that?" She looked out to sea at the massive landmass they were headed for, shielding her eyes from the blinding sun with her hand.

"I don't know..." Lucy said quietly, peering out across the waves.

"Oh no..." Trumpkin murmured barely audibly.

"My liege!" Reepicheep's voice sounded urgently.

Caspian whipped his head around, his long brown hair flying into his face as he caught sight of Reepicheep scurrying full speed towards them, Trufflehunter hot on his trail. The both straightened themselves up when they reached Caspian, breathing heavily.

"What is going on?" Caspian asked, his deep voice taking on a serious tone.

Trufflehunter spoke first. "My lord," he said slowly, trying to catch his breath. "We've arrived."

Edmund stood beside Caspian and furrowed his eyebrows. "Arrived where?" he asked cluelessly.

Solemnly, Reepicheep looked up at them and whispered, "We've arrived... at the Serpent's Pass."


	8. The Serpent's Pass

Serena stared at the landmass looming 100 feet above their heads. It seemed as if there were no way around it—nothing but a narrow passage though the middle.

"The Serpent's Pass?" Lucy said curiously. "But... I thought that was only a legend."

"Apparently not," Edmund muttered under his breath.

"It's supposed to be," said Reepicheep, appearing at Caspian's side. "But no one has ever sailed this far out to sea—and lived to tell the tale that is."

"There are said to be untold dangers awaiting anyone who dares venture through this pass," Trumpkin added, gazing solemly at the narrow path. "Dangers you couldn't even imagine..."

Trufflehunter gulped audibly, earning himself a glare from Reepicheep.

Lucy looked around at everyone. "Well we can't go back now!"

Serena cleared her throat quietly. "She's right. We've come this far already..." she paused to look back at the canyon. "Besides, I don't think there's any other way around it."

Trufflehunter looked to the left, then to the right. "Maybe we could keep sailing and see if we can get around it."

"No," Caspian, who had been silent through the entire conversation, finally spoke up, closing the lid of his compass as everyone turned to look at him. "This pass is due North, if we sail another way we will be going on a different course completely."

Everyone paused in thought, all that could be heard were the shouts of crew members around the ship.

Edmund sighed and placed his hands lazily behind his head. "Well that settles it."

Caspian nodded, locking eyes with Serena. "We are going."

She nodded back in response, shifting her gaze to the canyon. Taking a deep breath, she turned and followed her new friends.

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

With Caspian at the wheel, the _Dawn Treader_ glided through the dark blue water, drawing closer and closer to the entrance of the pass.

Lucy, Edmund, Serena and Trumpkin were all stationed at different sides of the ship—with Reepicheep by Caspian's side—ready to alert the young King should the ship run into anything.

Serena's heart pounded painfully in her chest as they sailed on—now only a couple of feet from the entrance. Fog clouded over the water near the pass, engulfing the ship as they sailed through.

The air thicken in her lungs as the ship broke through the threshold of the entrance. The walls seemed to run up to the sky, and it was way too narrow to turn the ship around—there was no going back now.

"Rocks! On your left!" Edmund shouted up to Caspian, who lightly turned the wooden wheel of the ship and dodged them with ease.

A cold wind rippled through the water, sending a shiver throughout everyone onboard. Serena clutched her quiver tightly, trying desperately to bite back her rising fear. _I can't get scared now_, she told herself, looking over at Lucy. The young girl stood tall, her left hand resting on her dagger as she scanned their foggy surroundings, her hard expression daring anything to attack them. _I need to be brave... like Lucy._

"My Lor—!" A voice yelled desperately before being cut off by a small splash, followed by complete silence.

Serena whipped her head around, her raven hair flying into her face as she scanned the right side of the ship where the voice came from. Nothing was there. She frowned, thinking she had imagined the sound before realizing how empty the space seemed. Her eyes widened slightly, and she couldn't help but think that there a faun standing there a minute ago.

She caught sight of Lucy standing beside her out of the corner of her eye. Lucy seemed to be thinking the same thing. Lucy turned her hazel-eyed gaze to Serena before they both took cautious steps to the side of the ship.

Serena gripped the edge with trembling hands and peered into the water.

The still, dark blue water was rippling ominously. The girls shared a quick glance before a tremor passed over the water, making a low rumbling sound before dying away. Everyone turned and looked around, trying to determine the source.

A second rumble rocked the ship gently, this one louder than the first. Lucy and Serena peered back over the edge of the ship, when something suddenly shot out of the water.

Acting on impulse, Serena grabbed Lucy's arm and pulled on her sharply, yanking her away from the edge of the ship. Lucy shrieked as they both tumbled to the ground, landing with a _thud_. Cold water sprinkled over the ship allerting the crew of the danger as the object rose high above them. They shifted their attention to whatever had come out of the water, drawing their weapons as they shouted orders at one another.

"We're under attack!" A faun shouted.

"Everyone get ready!" One of the centaurs bellowed.

Lucy and Serena sat, frozen as they stared at the object that had come from the depths. On the way down it wrapped around the edge of the ship, dangerously close to Serena and Lucy's feet before sliding back beneath the water as quickly as it had come. They had been able to notice its pink colour and slimy looking surface before it had disappeared completely, leaving an eerie silence among everyone on the ship. It left a trail of cloudy white goo on the side of the ship, as well as large circular markings.

Serena's eyes were wide, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She recognized it all—the pink, slimy looking surface, its almost cone-like shape that grew skinnier as you got to the top, the way it curled itself around the ship, the unmistakable circles layed out on it. "It can't be!" She gasped outloud.

But she knew that it could—her many childhood projects and trips to the zoo confirmed her suspicions.

It was a tentacle.

Edmund was at Serena's side in a flash, helping her to her feet as Trumpkin did with Lucy. Before she could think, Edmund had his sword drawn, holding it infront of his body defensively. She blinked out of her stupor and followed his lead by drawing an arrow and fitting it to her bow.

Trumpkin loaded his bow as well, along with a number of other dwarfs and fauns.

"Stay on your guard!" Caspian deep voice echoed over the water as he made his way over to the group, a large bear now manning the wheel of the ship.

Silence hung in the air as they waited, no one daring to breathe.

Caspian drew his sword and positioned himself at Serena's side, Reepicheep following in suit. Her hands shook violently as she gripped the arrow, her heart beating a mile per second. Edmund, Lucy and Trufflehunter stood with their backs to Serena, Caspian and Reepicheep, watching the other side of the ship.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion—and before anyone could think, it all sped up again.

A short, slimy tentacle grabbed the side of the ship and tugged it sharply—nearly tipping it over. Trumpkin released his arrow, and the creature shrieked as it pierced its tentacle. It released the ship and squirmed in the air before vanishing beneath the water once more.

Two more tantacles gripped the opposite side of the ship, tilting it under its weight. Edmund and Lucy approached it cautiously, before the ship jerked in the other direction.

Still with their back to back with Edmund and Lucy, Caspian and Serena watched as a second, larger creature gripped the ship and hauled itself up until a round, dark pink head rose above the water, no more than 4 feet in length.

"It's an octopus!" Reepicheep shouted as it opened its eyes to releal two black irises.

"And there's more of them!" The bear at the wheel roared as a third octopus gripped the back of the ship.

"Try to shake them off!" Caspian shouted rushing forward as he swung his sword at the closest tentacle.

The crew cried as they charged at the tentacles binding the ship, hacking at them with their sharp swords. Pale green blood gushed from the cuts and chunks of pink tentacle that lay on the deck.

High pitched screeches filled the air as Edmund slashed savagely at the creature on the other side of the ship, Lucy and Reepicheep stabbing with their daggers/dagger-sized swords as well.

Knowing that she had to help, Serena faced the octopus on her side of the ship, raising her bow with trembling hands and shakily drew the string back, taking aim before firing—

And missing her target.

The arrow sailed harmlessly past the creature's massive head before falling into the water. Serena's air left her lungs in a _whoosh_ and her mouth was slightly agape. _What happened?_ Panicking, she quickly drew another arrow and fired it at one of the giant creatures. Only to miss once more. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps now and her eyes were wide._ What's going on? Why do I keep missing? _

The largest of the three creatures let out a deafening roar and released the ship, before diving beneath the water with a great splash. The other two retreated as well, slipping under the water after the first one.

The silence the followed was almost as deafening as the creature's roar.

Staring out at the water, Serena held her bow tightly as hysteric thoughts rushed through her head. What if her skill with a bow really wasn't her skill at all? What if it had left her completely?

Caspian pushed some of his hair off of his forehead, panting slightly.

Without warning, the _Dawn Treader_ shook violently. Serena lost her balance and clutched Caspian's arm to right herself. "What was that?" She asked, clearly shaken.

He looked around, his brow furrowing in confusion. "I do not know."

The ship shook again, and Trufflehunter waddled to Caspian's side. "Uh oh..." he mumbled.

Serena and Caspian turned to look down at the badger. "What?" They urged.

Trufflehunter slowly looked down at his feet. "They've taken hold from below—"

And then the ship shot forward, sending everyone tumbling to the floor, aside from Trufflehunter, who went rolling almost all the way to the back of the ship, shouting the whole way.

Caspian just managed to refrain from impaling himself with his sword as he fell on his back, Serena landing heavily beside him. He sat up with difficulty, gravity pulling him on the ground. From the wind and spray from the salty sea water that was hitting his face, blowing his dark brown hair back, he could tell that they were moving _really_ fast, though the fog kept him from seeing clearly.

Edmund attempted to stand up, only to be knocked back over as the ship jerked upward suddenly. He hit the deck with a loud _thump_ and a grunt of pain, causing everyone to look over at him.

He rubbed the back of his head and sat up slowly, a pained expression on his face. "I think it's safest if we all stay seated!" He announced, raising his other hand in the air.

Trumpkin scoffed and rolled his eyes. _Obviously._ The dwarf took hold of his beard to keep it from blinding him, and looked towards the back of the ship. From where he sat he could barely make out pink tentacles rising slightly above the water as they pushed the ship forwards.

Caspian wrapped an arm around Serena's waist and helped her sit up. "Are you alright?" He yelled over the wind.

Her hair flew behind her as she turned to look at him. "I'm fine!" She replied, her eyes wide as she gripped her bow tightly in her other hand.

"What are they doing?" Lucy shouted from where she sat beside Trumpkin.

The _Dawn Treader_ continued to glide rapidly through fog-covered the water for a couple of minutes, the nose of the ship tilted upwards from the speed—when suddenly, the fog was gone.

Serena shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight that flooded over the ship. Squiting from the newfound light, she peered from behind her hand to observe their surroundings.

The narrow pass was gone, and water stretched far on either side of the ship, as if they were on a lake. The walls of the pass still remained, running for miles and miles around them. It took her a moment to realize that they were still traveling at the same swift speed, heading toward the centre of the clearing.

Lucy crawled up to Serena, her eyes squinting as the wind hit her face, sending her brown hair trailing behind her. "What's that?" She shouted, extending her arm as she pointed forward in the direction they were headed.

The water not a half mile ahead of them began to shift, back and forth before meeting in the middle. The crash of two waves meeting sent white water flying into the air, sprinkling back on the surface of the water. Then it started spiralling. Small at first, but then it grew, wider and wider until finally a small hole appeared to be sinking below the surface, opening up more as it continued the spin. It continued growing, and growing until the occupants of the _Dawn Treader_ were staring at a whirlpool the size of a small forest.

Everyone froze, watching in shock as the whirlpool continued to grow, its pulling current adding to their already rapid speed as the ship drew closer to it.

The octopuses weren't helping them, they were _herding_ them—dragging them to their doom.

**A/N**

**So yeah, _so_ sorry for taking forever and a year to update this story, but I hope you all liked it =]**

**Reviews are always welcome!  
**


	9. Now or Never

The swirling vortex of water continued to grow as the _Dawn Treader_ sailed swiftly towards it—growing into a ravenous black hole that would devour anything that crossed it.

Serena's eyes were wide and she began trembling. The whole ship was silent, watching helplessly as the creatures of the deep dragged them to their deaths.

Caspian, whose arm was still around Serena's waist, firmly grabbed hold of the mast and hauled himself up, effortlessly pulling a shocked Serena up with him. Serena, still frozen with fear clutched Caspian tightly to keep her balance as the ship continued to race through the rough waves—drawing closer to the whirlpool every second.

"Alright," Caspian yelled, his voice carrying over the crash of the waves around them. "We do not have much time. Every second we waste brings us closer to _that_." He nodded towards the whirlpool. "If we are going to survive, we need to get moving."

"What do you suggest we do sire?" Reepicheep asked.

"Yeah," Edmund added. "If we get caught in that thing, we'll never get out."

"But there's no way we can get out _now_," Trumpkin cut in. "We're already caught in the current, and these _things_ keep pulling us closer!"

Trufflehunter spoke up. "From what I've heard of whirlpools, they're like black holes. They open up then disappear without a trace, and whatever it draws into it vanishes forever."

"We need to pry these beasts loose!" One of the centaurs shouted.  
"Yes! We'll make them let us go!" Another voice cried.

Lucy kept silent through the commotion and peered out at the waves, her hazel eyes hard with concentration.

"No we can't do that!" said Edmund. "There's no way we can shake them off in time!"

Caspian could feel Serena trembling against him as he continued. "If I am not mistaken, these creatures will have to let go of us eventually, unless they want to get swallowed with us..."

Trumpkin frowned. "Right...?"

"So..." Caspian began before Lucy cut in.

"So when they _do_ let go of us, they'll swim _away_ from the whirlpool—back to safety." Her serious tone matched the blazing look on her face.

"Of course!" Edmund cried, his eyes lighting up with realization. "We can't _sail_ back... the currents to strong... we just have to hitch a ride from them!"

"But," Caspian interrupted. "We have to catch them first." He shifted his gaze to Serena.

She looked up at him, terror reflected in her sea-green eyes.

He looked at her sincerely. "If you can get the first shot, the other archers can follow the target you have set."

She gaped back at him. "Wh-what?"

"None of the other archers can hit that fast a moving target," he said as softly as he could while still being heard over the crashing waves. "If you can mark where to shoot, then the others can follow. It is our only chance."

Lucy stood up shakily beside Serena and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you can do it," she smiled at her.

"Yes you can," Trufflehunter agreed, joining Lucy by Serena's side.

"You can do it!" The deep voice of the bear rumbled from over by the wheel.

Soon the whole ship was murmuring in agreement, shouting their encouragements to Serena.

She stared sown at the floorboards, playing with the hem of her dress nervously as the colour drained from her face. Caspian gave her a reassuring squeeze, and as she looked up at his smiling face she somehow felt her courage return to her.

Serena glanced around at everyone. _They're all counting on me, I have to do something!_ She closed her eyes slowly, took a deep breath, then looked up and opened them again—everyone onboard could see that change in her eyes.

"Alright," she said firmly. "Lets do it."

"Great," Edmund said, making his way over to them, a triumphant grin plastered on his face, "Because I have a plan."

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"You, stand over there! You, up in the crow's nest, keep a lookout for when the creatures let us go!" Edmund was bustling around, shouting orders like the King he was.

Caspian was more or less doing the same. "Everyone else! Tie off the ropes! Spread them out, do not attach them all to the mast!"

The crew was running shakily around the ship, tripping occasionally when it went over a rough wave, and shouting at one another as the grabbed the ropes that lay in a pile at the base of the mast. They began securing them to the mast and the bow.

"Trumpkin! Trufflehunter! Lucy!" Caspian called out to get their attention. "Go down below, get the harpoon arrows and tie the ropes to them."

"Yes sir!" Trufflehunter saluted before bounding after Trumpkin and Lucy.

In the midst of all the excitement, Serena stood motionless, her bow clutched tightly in her left hand as she watched the ship draw closer and closer to the whirlpool. _We're running out of time..._

"Here you are!" Lucy panted as she ran to Serena's side, holding out two thick wooden arrows, a length of rope attached to the end of each. They were unlike her arrows, the bottom of the tips were pointed as well to ensure than the arrow wouldn't come out.

Serena took the arrows from Lucy, met her gaze and the nodded solemly. Lucy returned her nod before turning around and racing back to help Trumpkin check that the ropes were secure.

Reepicheep scurried to the very tip of the bow, stabbing the wood with his sword and  
wrapping his tail around the railing to keep from falling overboard. He shielded his eyes from the sun with a paw and peered out to sea to navigate their position, ignoring at cold water that sprinkled over him occasionally.

"We're almost there, my Lord!" He yelled, and sure enough, the whirlpool lay almost thirty yards away.

"Everyone ready!" Caspian shouted.

The other Narnia archers held harpoon arrows as well, ready to follow after wherever Serena marked.

Twenty yards away.

"Hold onto something!" Edmund yelled, taking hold of the railing.

They were now close enough to see into the black abyss that lay below them.

Serena stared at it, the salty air blowing her hair about her face. Her eyes were wide and her breaths came in shaky gasps. _Here we go._

And then the _Dawn Treader_ slowly eased into the black water.


End file.
